Message from the King (2017)

All in all I liked the movie, which was a good old fashioned payback movie. Man avenging a loved one. *SPOILERS* However, some things leave you confused. Firstly, the main character's sister is tortured, beaten and murdered, and you never really find out why this overkill. You do find out why the bad guys want her out of the way, but not why the hatred with which she was killed (which the killers were specifically instructed to do). Secondly, there are numerous bad guys (the dentist gangster, the movie producer, the local hoods, the politician), and you don't fully find out who is working. Thirdly, the "rescue" of Armande, and him running away, leaves you with a "what? What happened? Is that it?" feeling. It seems like the filmmakers tried to have a shocking reveal similar to 8mm, but in my opinion they failed to deliver. The actions scenes are quite good though. I give it a 6/10.

I knew I wasn't going to like this film. I watched it ONLY because I think Chadwick Boseman is one of the best actors to come along in decades. And, I was right. It's an awful film, filmed with truly excessive violence, and representing the part of America we all know exists in the darkest corners of some cities, and is every bit as depraved as the worst of cities in the Third World (and yes, I lived in the Third World for a while).Boseman may be the perfect actor. When you go to one of his films, you don't see Boseman; you see the character he's playing.The rest of the cast here...well, I don't think anyone comes off very well here, particularly Alfred Molina; he must be very hard up for work.I realize some like this. Personally, although I have no problem with violence or sex in a film, my take on this film -- perverted trash. It cost $10 million to make and took in only about $250,000. What a disaster. To Chadwick Boseman: You inspired us in "42". You were phenomenal is "Get On Up" (about a type of music I don't even like). You were totally impressive in "Marshall". I'm expecting great things in "Black Panther". Hopefully this is your low spot...because it can't get much lower than this. What were you thinking?

This was an action-packed, thrill ride of a film. It had some unexpected twists - especially at the end - and some great acting by Boseman. He makes the movie, no doubt! The plot is pretty simple - find his missing sister. And when that comes to a heart-stopping conclusion, find those responsible for what happened to her. And Boseman's character - while not super human - is super skilled. The film shows the seriously gritty and unseemly side to Hollywood. Overall, a really good film and another fine performance by Boseman.

A simple story with a solid script with action and twists. When Jacob King from South Africa does not hear from his sister in America. He decides to visit and uncovers a pit of lies and betrayal. I enjoyed this cracker. I knew, where the story was going and then the story takes a side step. Which leaves you like mmmm OK and then your back to where you thought the story was going. Now my issues, the accent was too strong or low. Which stopped certain scenes from connecting. Also I'm not going to lie a car chase scene and some one liners would have made it Fire. And the action needed more multi angles (point of view shots). But this would add 1000s to budget and editing time. Modern film making is control by numbers, like most products today. So, I am not disappointed and I cant wait for this teams next project.Apart from that very good watch. Casting and performances were strong. If you like films like taken with a touch of born identity. Then this is the Netflix title for you. One the best crime action dramas on Netflix today.