Message from the King (2016)

"Message from the king" have to be one of the best payback movies ever made. This movie reminds me a little of "Man on fire" and "Drive". Its a dark thriller and shows LA in a way none else does. The story line is absolutely magnificent and the acting as well. This is a movie that deserves a much better rating and meta score. If you are looking for a good thriller/action movie.....this is absolutely one to watch!!

Fmovies: "It's Bianca. She's got a brother. He's in town, says he has what we've been looking for. He's out of control, Mike. You told me Bianca was not a problem anymore. Bianca isn't a problem anymore. I'm afraid that's his problem."

Those who imagine the Los Angeles metropolis to be idealistically beautiful, they should adjust that view after watching "Message from the King". The less beautiful part of Los Angeles is used here. An impoverished neighborhood where the vast majority of residents live in poverty and where crime and drugs are an obvious part of society. Ash gray ghettos full of human suffering. And that's being emphasized by drizzly weather. The crowded mortuary is a reflection of these fading slums. A collection of nobodies who died because of an overdose, madness (drowned in a bathtub as an imaginary fish) and gang violence.

This is what Jacob King (Chadwick Boseman) faces when he arrives in L.A. The reason why he's staying in the city of angels is the sudden disappearance of his younger sister Bianca (Sibongile Mlambo). Soon he discovers the sore situation his sister got herself into and what it did to her : she earned a spot in the mortuary with a name tag on her big toe. The search for the murderers of his younger sister brings him in touch with all kind of figures. Trish (Natalie Martinez) the loyal neighbor points him in the right direction after which he meets a violent gang of Balkan criminals run by a certain Zico (Lucan Melkonian). Then there's the rich dentist Wentworth (Luke Evans) and the wealthy movie producer Preston (Alfred Molina). And let me tell you. Some of them are getting to know the bicycle chain he just bought, in a less pleasant way.

For Jacob, these L.A. neighborhoods probably still look like charming neighborhoods compared to where he comes from. His sister Bianca, his deceased brother Isaac and Jacob himself, lived the largest part of their life in South Africa in the Cape Flat townships, a sandy area south of Cape Town and better known as "Apartheid's dumping ground". A dilapidated community where gangs rule. Both in the slums and in prison. Such as "The Number Gangs". Isaac was a member of this notorious gang, until his death. Reason enough for Bianca to turn her back on her home country and to seek salvation in the United States.

You could say this movie is a cheaper version of "The Equalizer" with Boseman having an equal personality as Denzel Washington. A cold-blooded but alert person who has control over his violent eruptions and who accurately follows the traces to solve the criminal puzzle in the end. However, the ultimate motive remains quite mysterious. Perhaps the only minus I could find in this hard-core, ultra-dark movie. In fact, it's an ordinary revenge film that differs slightly from others because of its quirky atmosphere and tone. And afterwards I discovered the film was directed by a fellow countryman : Fabrice du Welz. Maybe that's why this movie displays a kind of willfulness.

Even though this action-flick is soaked by cliché elements (corrupt policemen, a cunning politician and a prostitute (Teresa "Lights Out" Palmer) who plays the Good Samaritan), you can speak of a stylish end product. No explicit violence scenes (the result is usually more explicit than the action itself) and a few star-like interpretations like that of Teresa Palmer. But especially Chadwick Boseman impressed. A man with few words, but hard negotiat

An EXCELLENT movie. One that not only addresses the cruelty and injustice of this world but also the humility and focus of the few who do try to make it right.

Highly recommended!

Message from the King fmovies. The story is nothing really special. Guy comes to LA to look for his sister and he gets tangled in the mess that she was in. He uses his tough South African skills to punish people. Liam Neeson did it with great success, Chadwick Boseman does it too.

It was the acting that was pretty decent, though, as well as the portrait of the city as a corrupt place that feeds on hope and takes it all away. The "message from the king" is that you may have a lot of money and live in a big rich place and still be just as rotten as the most crime ridden places in Africa.

Bottom line: a linear and predictable story that only highlighted the good acting and subtle message on the background.

A solid film from director Fabrice Du Wetz (Allelula, Vinyan) at the Toronto International Film Festival. In genre "revenge thriller" but I completely agree with Du Wetz at its core a character study and much more. Chadwick Boseman follows up his Black Panther introduction in Captain America:Civil War with a nuanced and believable performance as an older brother seeking out his lost younger sister in a Los Angeles that truly feels like a "Blade Runner" homage in its grittiness and tone. Teresa Palmer is outstanding as a complicated and pivotal associate in his "message". High marks for all involved in this interesting and well scored film!

First of all, what a movie! When I heard about this movie through the cinematographer's page here on IMDb (fits perfectly with the story), I was shocked to see the 6,4 rating and the critic reviews. Chadwick Boseman shines as Jacob King, a mysterious man from Cape Town looking for his sister in Los Angeles. Director Fabrice Du Welz made good use of the locations to show us the gritty side of the city. The performance of the supporting cast is excellent for this kind of movie. For the critics who wrote their thoughts on this movie, I say this: I do not know what your problems are with this movie, but I do not see any problem with this movie. You should probably give this movie another go.

For the ones you who are going to watch this on Netflix at home, be shocked for the ending.