Direction: Andrew Patterson
Country: USA
American filmmaker Andrew Patterson did a much better job with his critically acclaimed alien-centered debut, The Vast of Night (2019), than with The Rivals of Amziah King, a revenge neo-western set in Oklahoma (the director’s home state) and centered on a devoted beekeeper and enthusiastic folk musician with a health condition.
Matthew McConaughey plays the title character, supported by newcomer Angelina LookingGlass as his former foster daughter, who returns to town, and Kurt Russell as a powerful businessman.
There’s rural dark poetry here, splashed with an indie touch, but it fails to impress, as the briskly edited first part of the film—its bluegrass swagger contributing little—proves to be a total snooze-fest. The second half is a tiny bit more exciting, but the story returns to bloated form, culminating in a cold, insipid manner.
Patterson uses the pseudonym James Montague to credited himself as writer and producer.
