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Pretty Good

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

How sad is this?

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Nothing too over-the-top in the way of violence - everything is done with a reason. Well worth watching.

"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 negotiating techniques. From the very first instance, I was fascinated by him. In my opinion, this is yet again a rough diamond that simmers on Netflix undiscovered. Don't let anybody stop you from watching this when you bump into it somewhere, because this will surely surprise you.More reviews here : http://movie-freak.be

i wish i could show this film to all the haters who downvoted my review of Aftermath.Message From The King is a very personal take on the revenge film genre, kind of similar to Taken, but less Hollywood. The message, to be clear, is pain.Chadwick Boseman plays King, a black man from South Africa who shows up in the US to visit his sister, who is apparently living there.You can immediately understand that while the two siblings were close, they must have had some family issues that have now prevented from keeping close still. This is done without words, just by Acting(tm).King finds his sister's roommate, and we immediately understand that something bad has happened, she must have fallen in with the wrong crowd.King, who seems to be a young man of little means, proves himself to be a spectacular investigator and soon finds out what has happened and who needs some punishment. And he does bring on the bad people a great good deal of punishment, but not in a Hollywood "fire and brimstone" kind of way, but rather closer to the way you had that fight in highschool and nothing went as planned but in the end you won and the other guy lost.THIS is how you do grief. THIS is how you do real in a film. Boseman puts in some real effort and the result is tangible, helped by the fantastic direction and camera-work that frame the emotions rather than the script. Message From the King is a bit limited in scope, true. Guy goes on revenge. OK, but what is remarkable is that it uses good filmmaking and acting techniques to advance the story, instead of "good guy dodges bullets, bad guy's car explodes", which is, in my opinion, the reason why the rating is so low.Watch this film. If you don't like it, you'll know exactly what type of movie-goer you are.My vote: a solid 7.5/10 and hopefully we'll see more of 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.