{"id":592745,"date":"2026-08-14T05:38:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/592745\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T05:38:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T05:38:12","slug":"the-review-of-a-film-few-will-recall-the-name-of-but-boy-what-a-film-the-rivals-of-amziah-king-film-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/592745\/","title":{"rendered":"The Review of a Film Few Will Recall the Name of, but boy, what a film! \u2018The Rivals of Amziah King\u2019 film review |"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy \t\t\t\tcreammagazine<\/a>, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAugust 13, 2026\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

A foot-stomping introduction sets the rhythm for The Rivals of Amziah King, a beautifully crafted Southern tale of community, loyalty, crime\u2026 and honey, all with Matthew McConaughey at its folksy, charismatic centre.<\/p>\n

As night falls over a small Oklahoma town, Amziah King (McConaughey) pulls his pickup truck into the local burger joint, where friends gather with guitars, fiddle, banjo and drums for an impromptu acoustic jam sesh. Even the local cops can\u2019t resist rocking up for a bit of toe-tapping. The music isn\u2019t merely background noise; it establishes the film\u2019s pulse. If Mumford & Sons is your thing, prepare for some enjoyment here.<\/p>\n

The plot wastes little time getting underway, opening with a honey heist that introduces an intriguing mixture of drama, mystery and crime. From there, we\u2019re taken on a winding journey through the Oklahoma countryside, where bees and their honey become a metaphor for the community itself: everyone has a role, everyone is connected, and disturb the hive at your peril.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Our protagonist\u2019s world is further complicated when he is reunited with a former foster child, Kateri, played by Native American actor Angelina LookingGlass, whom Amziah and his late wife once cared for. Their chance reunion eventually draws her back into the honey business \u2014 and, perhaps more importantly, gives her a sense of having found home again.<\/p>\n

The film gradually reveals its characters and the complicated relationships that bind this community together. One of its most delightful sequences is a pot-luck dinner in the local community hall, where personalities emerge through shared stories, good food and plenty of laughter. McConaughey\u2019s Amziah is the kind of character you could happily listen to spinning yarns all afternoon.<\/p>\n

There is plenty of humour, too. A school lockdown caused by a swarm of bees is initially absurdly funny, until the situation reminds us how quickly things can turn dangerous.<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s the town\u2019s kingpin, played with cheek by Kurt Russell. Like the queen bee at the centre of a hive, his influence is everywhere \u2014 but underneath the surface lies exploitation, violence and a darker side to the community.<\/p>\n

\"\"Director Andrew Patterson brings an almost hypnotic beauty to the Oklahoma landscape, with the cinematography here capturing both the majesty of nature and the intricate world of the bees \u2013 some of the most underrated species in all of biological study. There are echoes of the Coen Brothers\u2019 O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a touch of Quentin Tarantino\u2019s darkly comic violence, and even some Guy Ritchie-style camera flourishes and freeze frames.<\/p>\n

Some may argue that The Rivals of Amziah King could have been shorter. One fellow moviegoer even suggested cutting some of the music.<\/p>\n

Hell no.<\/p>\n

The music, characters, community and enormous heart are precisely what make this film work. Even if you aren\u2019t into acoustic country-style jamming (the Editor slowly puts his hand up), you\u2019ll still get a kick out of this flick. Like a good hive, everything is connected \u2014 and it\u2019s best experienced by settling in and letting the whole thing buzz around you.<\/p>\n

Elle Getty<\/a> & Antonino Tati<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018The Rivals of Amziah King\u2019 is in cinemas August 20, including Luna Leederville<\/a> where this film was previewed.<\/p>\n

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