Kings (2017) User Reviews (53)

I like the talent involved, but better luck next time

[paulijcalderon · 5/10 · 17 November 2017]

An unfortunate letdown. It pains me to say this because this had the potential to be very good. "Kings" is a story centered around the LA riots which occurred in the early 90's. It's told through the perspective of a family who find themselves in the middle of the intense event. There was set-up for great drama, but the end result is an uneven mess with little to no pay-off. This movie had the most abrupt and out of nowhere endings that I've seen all year. Early on we seem to be promised an emotional and riveting finale. And we never get that finale. It just sort of ends before the third act is taking shape. The first half of the film suffers a lot. I didn't form much of an attachment with the characters. The editing switches too quickly between people with little moments to breath and for you to get to know them. Besides, almost every scene during the first half consists of people yelling and talking over each other constantly. The pace is unfocused. You can only take so much loud shouting before your only wish is for people to calm down and be quiet for just a second. The silent or calmer scenes are precious because there are so few of them. Halle Berry gives a good performance and so does Daniel Craig. They are both like-able as their bonding slowly progresses throughout the story. If they only picked a better project to be apart of though. It was a waste of their talents. Lamar Johnson who plays Berry's son gets a lot screen-time, and he was really good playing a grounded and sympathetic character. There's much heavy lifting for him to do as he wants to make sense out of the situation and find some peaceful solution to many problems. I was on-board with his story-line until he, of course, disappears towards the end. The development of the character pretty much stopped just as it was about to get the most interesting. Tonally it's all pretty realistic with documentary like montage sequences. Well, except for one abstract dream scene involving Berry and Craig that confused half the audience. It was supposed to be "romantic", but it's like nothing else in the entire movie. The scene comes off as more comedic than anything because of how cheesy the presentation is. It was kind of embarrassing as well, which made me feel bad for the actors.

The actual riot scenes weren't bad. It's the journey up to that point that's difficult to tolerate. If only they didn't let every dialogue scene be people yelling, shouting or screaming. The pulse can't be that high all the time. There needs to be some breathing. I like the actors and the director is respected, but they can't save the movie. We get some sprinkled decent moments, but there's just not enough of them. Oh, I'll give it a point for being shot on film. No complaints on cinematography. Don't rush out to see this one once it comes out. Catch it on VOD or something and be sure to not have the volume too high. Trust me, it's gonna get loud. My other summary of the film is: I like you guys, but better luck next time.

Empty and disconnected vision of the Rodney King riots

[mmcneil007 · 4/10 · 12 August 2018]

A muddled piece that doesn't begin to Capture LA during the riots Halle and Daniels interactions are forced. He goes from angry neighbor to love interest with no bridge in between. The makers knew what they were doing, casting two Bond actors together! That's why I tuned in. But not the best viewing for Daniel and Halle fans....

A jumbled up mess

[bigdeb48-77-274140 · 5/10 · 5 November 2018]

The movie was all over the place. No character development, why was Hallie Berry with nine or ten various kids, oh I get fostering. Nothing explained. And I think her and Craig did the movie for free. Spike Lee would put it together better. You have to live the life before you can make film about South Central. Where I grew up. South central was worse than the film but it was a jumbled mess.

A huge disappointment

[Gordon-11 · 19 August 2018]

This film tells the story of a foster mother with many foster children, around the time of riots in 1991.

With two A List stars, one would expect this film to be good. As it turned out, I am left hugely disappointed. The film features constant screaming children, screaming adults and screaming everyone. There is not a time when characters aren't screaming. That alone turns me off the film completely. The story is not really going anywhere either.

Waste of Talent & Time

[bandblawrw · 3/10 · 8 May 2018]

In the credits this movie was dedicated to a young man, I would guess someone that lost their life in the riots and this was NOT a good memorial. This movie was all over the place. It appeared that Halle Berry was channeling the character from Monsters Ball??? I mean dazed and confused should not be the only emotion one can emote. If this was based on a real person, I wonder how they felt portrayed in such a manner? It was completely unbelievable that children would be in the care of such a person. The story line was all over the place. I think the film was to be a coming of age and experiencing first love in the midst of the chaos of the race riots? Just way too much going on simultaneously while not pausing to fully develop any of the ideas. I went into this film excited to see the experience of the riots (and the buildup) from a regular family's point of view, this was highly disappointing and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Odd assembly

[robertemerald · 7/10 · 9 March 2019]

There is way too much foreplay to this movie. The actual story starts with a dramatic shooting seven weeks before the riots, then switches to an overburdened mother and her cantankerous neighbour, as well a feisty homeless girl (whom soon attracts the attention of two grown boys living with the mother). I felt there was more attention paid to the story of the homeless girl than the Halle Berry story. The problem with the movie is that this long distance of time and the parallel story lines creates a lack of focus. There is also a constant diversion to the unravelling of the times on the ever-present TV which lead to the fateful night of the riots. I appreciate the ticking time bomb intention. It all seems over-long, over-complicated and thus under-committed. If the story had just followed the mother I feel we could have had a more powerful movie. She has numerous kids, all with charm, and an action-packed story of her own. Once you realise the plot you'll quickly realise that her tale has all the impact needed to bring together all the elements of horror of that fateful day and night. I also believe more attention could have been paid to the riots and looting itself. It was a cheap shot to constantly have to follow that on grainy pre-digital tv images instead of something weightier produced by Hollywood itself. Too often we see this in movies these days. A great movie concept, but the vision is marred by wanting to show too much in too little time. I appreciate how hard that must be, but the means to the end needs to be entertaining, and despite the quality of some of the performances here and the originality and cuteness of some of the story ideas, I felt that that very cuteness ran counter to the seriousness of the parallel story (the homeless girl) and was too much on the plate. Something needed to go, or something needed to be handled differently. It's still a good movie for all that, and definitely an honest salute to those affected by the riots themselves, and Halle Berry's terrific performance will certainly make the effort worth the while.

Missed opportunity

[Alexander_Blanchett · 4/10 · 26 November 2018]

Meh. An important and interesting story that is still extremely relevant these days, told out of a rather unspectacular and to some degrees unbelievable perspective. Yes the film stars two very talented actors: Halle Berry and Daniel Craig however their roles are rather supporting and their performances not really stunning. Berry overacts easily and there is no motivation no explanation in her character. Craig is okay actually, another twist of character for him, however the development of his character makes no sense at all and there is also no explanation or anything for it. I think they just cut a LOT out of the movie. Really lousy writing that also continues with the plot.. there is not much of it, and the bits and pieces we get presented are absolutely unbelievable and often make no sense. The writer and director never stays true and honest with his characters and that is why the film fails. You really only get emotionally impacted by the film and that is during the short footage sequence at the end when the film is dedicated to some victim. Otherwise a missed opportunity for sure.

"Kings" is a personal window into the lives of average people during one of the most upsetting and violent moments in recent American history.

[dave-mcclain · 7/10 · 30 April 2018]

"Kings" (R, 1:32) is a crime drama, with romantic undertones, written and directed by award-winning director Deniz Gamze Ergüven (2015's "Mustang"). Although the title is never really explained, the film is about a family of foster kids in South Central Los Angeles who struggle to deal with endemic racial discrimination - and to survive the L.A. riots following the 1992 Rodney King beating trial verdict.

Oscar winner Halle Berry stars as Millie Dunbar, a foster mother who loves children and has a special place in her heart for troubled kids. She has a house full of them - boys and girls of different races and ages. She loves all of them as if they were her own and she works multiple jobs to take care of them. That last part means she's often away from home, and care for the younger ones often falls to her oldest, Jesse (Lamar Johnson). Jesse is intelligent and responsible, but he struggles against the instincts of his short-tempered best friend, William (Kaalan "KR" Walker), and a short-tempered neighbor, named Obie (Daniel Craig), who complains about Millie's parenting - and the noise coming from her house.

The film uses a re-enactment of the fatal March 16, 1991 shooting of teenager Latasha Harlins by an L.A. Korean convenience store owner and news of the shooter's conviction, but subsequent sentence of probation, to set the stage for the events to come. As frustration in the black community builds, the film's plot remains focused on Millie's make-shift family and their relationships with their friends and other members of their neighborhood, including Obie. When it is announced that the police officers who beat Rodney King on the night of March 3, 1991 have been acquitted, rioting begins. Millie's kids are involved in the mayhem in various ways and she fights to find and protect them, with Obie helping her.

"Kings" is a personal window into the lives of average people during one of the most upsetting and violent moments in recent American history. Although fictionalized, the story is nevertheless affecting and the film is dedicated to one of the young men who lost his life during the riots. Some of the plot points feel contrived, but the film's effective at delivering greater understanding of and compassion for those affected by the L.A. riots - and the issues that led up to that episode - some of which clearly continue to plague society today. "B+"

And, So?

[westsideschl · 2/10 · 14 August 2018]

1. Miscast, a thin attractive model type figure to represent the Afro-American community. A good looking white male to be her counter. Ends up sexual? 2. Half of movie is historic TV coverage (mostly from air, some ground level) of R. King and early '90s L.A. riots. Like any graphic video w/out research & facts to help interpret/understand it's all in the eye of the beholder. 3. As a civil rights active advocate from decades ago I do not endorse one-sidedness on any side. Film failed to provide any discussion from Asian shop owners POV from that period or from police (black, white, Asian, Hispanic) and their POVs. 4. Film was sensationalism for it's own sake and lacked an intelligent base from which to form the storyline.

Very Intense and Powerful Film, Stronger Than Detroit!

[Moovimn67 · 7/10 · 28 April 2018]

I see the two low reviews for this latest film starring Halle Berry and Daniel Craig and I am a bit puzzled. I watched this tonight with the wife, who thought it was quite loud and startling and because of that and the images, it's a strong film. During the chaos, just sitting in the theatre, I felt the pressure of the scene and it definitely rattled me. While I thought it ended too quickly, I really enjoyed it and would definitely buy on Blu-ray once released. For my time and $20 spent seeing it with my wife, it was well worth it. As much as I appreciate Bigelow's work, this in my opinion, was more visceral and more honest than Detroit.

All over the place

[nwalter-68-757629 · 1/10 · 4 August 2018]

If the movie's plot line was meant to match the chaos of the Rodney King riots, then kudos, you played me.

But the movie couldn't stay in one place. There were random kids introduced every seven minutes it seemed, the focus was always shifting (romance between Halle Berry's & Daniel Craig's characters; teenage black kid; teenage black girl; riots; shoplifting brother, etc.) It just jumped all around.

The Rodney King story is far too important to be made like this in movie form.

Original take on 92 LA riots

[Fleurus · 8/10 · 18 January 2021]

Don't understand the bad reviews. I thought it was a rather good film mixing real footage of the events with the story of a family who have difficulties to make ends meet. At times it has a kind of documentary feel due to the cinematography. Halle Berry is very credible as this warm hearted Mum who makes everything for her and others kids and there is real chemistry between her and Daniel Craig. All in all worth watching but too short, and ends rather abruptly which is a shame.

A Failure with good intentions!

[master_darkboy · 6/10 · 31 July 2018]

Deniz Gamze Ergüven has tried to tackle the issue of racism and the 1992 L.A riots surrounding Rodney King's incident and did not fully succeed which is kind of expected from a director who's not American and turkish and has zero on-scene familiarity with the unhinged racism against African-Americans and that turbulent time. She has tried to somehow outdo Kathryn Bigelow's Detroit but this isn't even near that. Though one can't really ignore the amazing performances by Halle Berry and Daniel Craig, It's not enough to save this garbled drama ! Deniz Gamze Ergüven's intentions are good but perhaps If the film was written by an American writer (Like Detroit that is written by American journalist, Mark Boal and directed by Bigelow), it would've turned "good" as well.However Erguven's Mustang which is turkish drama is a strong one and she should probably stick to depicting her own country's everyday/historical struggles (Turkey) which are not a few!

Had potential

[cerebralhaxor · 1/10 · 27 January 2021]

Movie is all over the place , you can't really breath because something is always happening.

The characters do dumb decisions all the time and constantly piss you off.

There's a shocking sex scene and i have no idea what the objective of it was , other than try try to shock the viewers when it was obvious it would happen.

The acting is good and movie looks decent , but that doesn't save it.

I was hoping for at least a good ending after such a tedious movie , but the movie ends out of nowhere and leaves us thinking about what would happen.

I hate endings that are bad, especially ones when the director or story writer wants us to decide the ending in our heads.

I had anxiety watching this and i have no idea what the objective of the movie was.

Regret watching it don't recommend.

Waste of time

[mhafiz-76626 · 1/10 · 27 May 2018]

Cant believe Danial Craig would take part in a movie like this.

What a Let Down

[ringdown · 25 August 2018]

I cannot believe that Halle Berry and Daniel Craig have put their name to this movie. I thought that it would have been a great story but it just rambles on about nothing with a few original news items thrown in just to remind what is happening. I would give this a start rating of 2 and would be one of the mob=vies to avoid this year.

I have never written a bad review before but just felt compelled to pen this one.

Only The Most worst Kings Wouldn't Like this movie

[EVERYTHINGplaysstopsandplays · 7/10 · 23 May 2021]

The Movie is the best movie explaing The L. A Riots of April 29,1992- May 4,1992 It's the best Racial Drama/Romance Of 2017 Even though I'm writing this review in 2021 the movie has such memorable characters and scenes and I like the use of Real footage from the riot in 1992 and this movie isn't bad at all This is the very best Biopic On The 1992 Riots of Los Angles.

Not worthy

[anaram0s · 2/10 · 27 June 2018]

The movie starts very well, however after the riots the movie is a mess and quickly escalate to bad. Is too sad because the movie had potential with great actor and characters

A distinctive period piece with relatable characters and tragic circumstances

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 17 November 2023]

I recently watched Kings (2017) on Tubi. The storyline follows a woman managing a foster family in South Central Los Angeles during the Rodney King beating and trial. The foster mother has some kids thriving and others succumbing to the streets. As trial verdict is released and the riots erupt, chaos threatens to undo all the mother has worked for.

Directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven (Mustang) and starring Halle Berry (Swordfish), Daniel Craig (Quantum Solace), Lewis T. Powell (Chicago Med), Lamar Johnson (The Hate U Give), and Rachel Hilson (This is Us).

This film provides a unique perspective on those affected by the riots, attempting to lead ordinary lives amid gunfire and looting. The circumstances in this picture were unpredictable, gave me anxiety and always have Rodney King haunting them. The acting, setting and dialogue were all perfect and authentic.

In conclusion, Kings is a distinctive period piece with relatable characters and tragic circumstances, earning a 6.5/10. It's worth a watch for its unique portrayal of a turbulent time.

What did I just watch?

[mikebarriga · 3/10 · 9 November 2018]

I thought this would be a good movie because it stars Halle Barry and what's his nutts but I was sadly mistaken. The entire movie was hectic and it had me patiently waiting for it to calm down and begin to tell a story. Take away the historical cut scenes and what's the movie even about? The only redeeming part of the movie was the Burger King scene which should have featured Mike Epps. I was hoping to see something with substance and sadly the movie failed to deliver.

Decent

[oscarvonseth · 5/10 · 17 November 2017]

An occasionally decent and thrilling film centered on Halle Berry as an altruistic foster mother. She gets tangled up in the violence and riots in Los Angeles, following the verdict in the Rodney King trial in 1991. "Kings" leaves an impression but despite its burning subject – racism and the abuse of power – it trivializes the seriousness of its own central theme. Also, within the context of the serious subject matter, the forced inclusions of distracting heterosexual romance make it a laughable affair, leaving you with a rather banal impression overall.

Meaningful drama

[zalfunk · 8/10 · 6 November 2020]

The personal focus on one family of the impact of a wider event is a great way to tell a story. Unfortunate events turn out to have tragic consequences. Tragic events are unfortunate but tragic nonetheless. The spiralling effect of a major social issue is highlighted from very personal perspectives on both sides of the divide. A meaningful and dramatic film.

Awful

[natavia-27286 · 1/10 · 4 November 2018]

I was extremely disappointed in this movie. It let me down in words I can't even describe. It was extremely weird, rather idiotic, and out of touch. Yeah, there were Black actors but this was just all wrong. It was cringe worthy. I'm not sure why Halle Berry agreed to do this movie but the movies she's been in lately have been awful.

TF did I just watch????

[roro2000 · 1/10 · 10 November 2018]

Quick. Think of the worst drama you've ever seen. This movie is 10x worse. Not only am I disappointed, but I am outright angry at this utter waste 1 hour and 26 minutes.

Halle Berry ought be ashamed of herself. And the writer/director ought to stick to creating movies about people that she understand or at least care about. That way we won't be left with persons of color being reduced to one-dimensional film fillers with no real back stories or no thought into why they do the things that they do.

This movie is literally tons of Rodney King/LA "Riots" film footage juxtaposed with people of color running around getting involved in criminal activity.

If you are interested in watching chaos unfold for at least half of this movie's run time, check it out on Netflix. Which reminds me, Netflix ought be ashamed for acquiring this. I mean, come on, there are tons of GOOD MOVIES that I am constantly checking Netflix for and they are NEVER there!!!

Bad acting

[yourpreaty · 4/10 · 27 May 2020]

Very dramatic and fake acting nonsensical things happen, not realistic. Some scenes were so wtf and cringe. Bad directing. If it had a different director and fixed the script a little bit it would reach 9. But for now it's a 4.