Synopsis: Amziah King, beekeeper, musician, and anchor of his community, reunites with former foster daughter Kateri after many years apart, and fends off threats to his honey business.
Director: Andrew Patterson
Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Angelina LookingGlass, Kurt Russell
Matthew McConaughey has always seemed like an actor who was born to be in a Western. He has the voice, the swagger and the ability to make even the simplest piece of dialogue sound like it carries generations of wisdom behind it. The Rivals of Amziah King gives him that opportunity, albeit in a decidedly modern way.
Written and directed by Andrew Patterson, The Rivals of Amziah King is a terrific neo-Western that combines a crime thriller, family drama and revenge story with bluegrass music, rural Oklahoma and, of all things, the competitive world of honey production. Somehow, it works.
McConaughey plays Amziah King, a beekeeper, musician and larger-than-life personality who operates a honey business in rural Oklahoma. Amziah is the kind of person who seems to know everyone, has a story for every occasion and can command a room without appearing to try.
His world changes when Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass), his former foster daughter, comes back into his life. Amziah welcomes her into his unusual community and gives her a job working with his bees. What initially feels like a story about two people rebuilding a father-daughter relationship gradually transforms into something much darker.
Amziah’s beehives are stolen, threatening the business he has spent years building. Without getting too deep into spoiler territory, circumstances eventually force Kateri to take control of the operation and discover exactly how ruthless the honey business can be. She starts investigating what happened to Amziah’s hives, and the deeper she goes, the more she finds herself confronting people who have been exploiting the community for years.
What follows is a wonderfully unpredictable revenge story.
Patterson deserves credit because this movie refuses to stay in one lane. At different moments it is funny, touching, suspenseful, violent and downright strange. There are elements of a classic Western here: stolen property, rival businesses, revenge, loyalty, and a community where people largely settle their own problems. The horses and cattle have simply been replaced by trucks and beehives.
And then there is McConaughey. This is the kind of role that fits him perfectly. Amziah has that familiar McConaughey charm, but there is considerably more happening underneath the surface. He brings warmth and authenticity to the character and makes you understand why this collection of people gravitates toward him. After being away from live-action theatrical movies for several years, this is one heck of a way to return.
But here’s the thing — go for McConaughey but stay for Angelina LookingGlass.
LookingGlass is sensational as Kateri. Remarkably, this is her feature-film debut, and Patterson reportedly selected her from more than 200 candidates. You would never know she was a newcomer from watching the film.
Kateri has to evolve dramatically throughout the story. LookingGlass initially gives her a quietness that works beautifully opposite McConaughey’s enormous personality. But as the story progresses, she gradually becomes the film’s driving force. She is tough, intelligent, determined and increasingly dangerous. LookingGlass doesn’t get swallowed up by McConaughey’s charisma; she goes toe-to-toe with him and eventually proves capable of carrying significant portions of the movie herself. That’s no small accomplishment.
The supporting cast is equally strong. Kurt Russell is perfectly suited to this world as Dob McCoy, while Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Cole Sprouse and Jake Horowitz help populate the film with characters who make this Oklahoma community feel lived-in rather than constructed for a movie.
At 131 minutes, The Rivals of Amziah King is certainly ambitious, but I appreciated how unconventional it is. Just when you think you understand what kind of movie you’re watching, Patterson changes gears.
Most importantly, it feels different.
There are plenty of crime thrillers and revenge movies, but I can’t remember another one involving bluegrass musicians, foster families, stolen beehives and an underground honey war. A film hasn’t shown this level of appreciation for bees since The Beekeeper.
The Rivals of Amziah King is a great neo-Western with a fantastic sense of place, an excellent ensemble and one of those wonderfully strange stories that becomes more interesting as it unfolds.
McConaughey may be the name that gets audiences through the door. Angelina LookingGlass will be the name they talk about when they leave.
Grade: B
