THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Angelina LookingGlass, Scott Shepherd, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Jake Horowitz, Owen Teague, Kurt Russell, and Cole Sprouse
Director: Andrew Patterson
NICK
It’s impressive the amount of genres that director Andrew Patterson tries to fit into The Rivals of Amziah King. It’s even more impressive that he mostly succeeds in doing so. It certainly doesn’t hurt having an absolutely magnetic Matthew McConaughey as your lead, but even beyond him, the film itself is just so full of life. Some poorly executed editing aside, it’s hard to find issue with Patterson’s ambitious attempt here. Yes, it can come off a little messy at times, but it never feels disjointed. Add in one of the best soundtracks of the year and you’ve got a film that’ll stick with you.
ADRIANO
You can’t help but be impressed with the audacity of The Rivals of Amziah King. The form is writer/director Andrew Patterson’s focus, as this is an exercise in capturing seemingly every single genre; he plays with each of them with great attention to detail and great vibes too, especially in the first half. The inevitable downside of this experiment is an unavoidable messiness where even the coherent narrative beats feel aimless throughout. Still, Matthew McConaughey gives his best performance in years, and the music is kick-ass. This film has grown on me the further I get away from it.
BODE
Part bluegrass musical, part revenge thriller, and nearly everything else in between, it’s miraculous that a film like The Rivals of Amziah King exists in this day and age. It’s all the more miraculous that the damn thing works. Even if writer-director Andrew Patterson’s ambition may occasionally exceed his grasp, there’s so much love and energy brimming through this Southern-fried portrait of community and the fight to keep it thriving that it’s never not exhilarating to watch; especially with Matthew McConaughey giving his best performance in ages and a fantastic T Bone Burnett-produced soundtrack. This one is worth the buzz.
