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RATING:  
The problem with building a film around a Biblical story is that at some point, the parallel becomes redundant. And so it is with The King, which is neither about Elvis Presley nor the companion piece of the Brit drama, The Queen.
Rather, it's a modern retelling of the Cain and Abel story, aptly set in Corpus Christi. Gael Garcia Bernal plays Elvis, recently discharged from the navy and the bastard son of a preacher man, David Sandow (William Hurt).
The man of the cloth now has a picture-perfect family - wife Twyla (Laura Harring), son Paul (Paul Dano) and daughter Malerie (Pell James) - and is not inclined to recognise his indiscretion committed 20 years ago.
Hurt by this brush-off, Elvis sets off on a trajectory of hate, beginning with seducing his half-sister and getting her pregnant. When Paul discovers him sneaking out of the house after a late-night tryst, he confronts Elvis and is stabbed to death. With his legitimate son declared missing, Sandow welcomes Elvis into the family. The Cain and Abel arc is complete, symbolised by Elvis wearing a handmade paper crown. Elvis goes on to test Sandow's faith, with tragic consequences.
Like Adam's Apples - last year's Danish delight - The King dusts off a Biblical archetype and gives it a good airing. And director James March, by employing long takes, has rightly given his cast plenty of room to show their acting chops. James, for example, morphs from a gawky schoolgirl to an unwed mother unknowingly bearing the sin of incest.
And in Bernal, Marsh has his trump card. The young Mexican actor shows why he's the hottest Latino name after Antonio Banderas. With his smouldering silences and faraway eyes, he suggests something restless and unredeemed.
Unfortunately, Marsh doesn't dwell deep enough into why Elvis does what he does. He's depicted merely as the epicentre of amorality, with neither feeling nor compassion.
This is where the film, in trying too hard to match-make itself to a Biblical allusion, stumbles. But keep your eye on Bernal. His star will continue to rise. - The problem with building a film around a Biblical story is that at some point, the parallel becomes redundant. And so it is with The King, which is neither about Elvis Presley nor the companion piece of the Brit drama, The Queen.
Rather, it's a modern retelling of the Cain and Abel story, aptly set in Corpus Christi. Gael Garcia Bernal plays Elvis, recently discharged from the navy and the bastard son of a preacher man, David Sandow (William Hurt).
The man of the cloth now has a picture-perfect family - wife Twyla (Laura Harring), son Paul (Paul Dano) and daughter Malerie (Pell James) - and is not inclined to recognise his indiscretion committed 20 years ago.
Hurt by this brush-off, Elvis sets off on a trajectory of hate, beginning with seducing his half-sister and getting her pregnant. When Paul discovers him sneaking out of the house after a late-night tryst, he confronts Elvis and is stabbed to death. With his legitimate son declared missing, Sandow welcomes Elvis into the family. The Cain and Abel arc is complete, symbolised by Elvis wearing a handmade paper crown. Elvis goes on to test Sandow's faith, with tragic consequences.
Like Adam's Apples - last year's Danish delight - The King dusts off a Biblical archetype and gives it a good airing. And director James March, by employing long takes, has rightly given his cast plenty of room to show their acting chops. James, for example, morphs from a gawky schoolgirl to an unwed mother unknowingly bearing the sin of incest.
And in Bernal, Marsh has his trump card. The young Mexican actor shows why he's the hottest Latino name after Antonio Banderas. With his smouldering silences and faraway eyes, he suggests something restless and unredeemed.
Unfortunately, Marsh doesn't dwell deep enough into why Elvis does what he does. He's depicted merely as the epicentre of amorality, with neither feeling nor compassion.
This is where the film, in trying too hard to match-make itself to a Biblical allusion, stumbles. But keep your eye on Bernal. His star will continue to rise. - TODAY/st
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