Message from the King
Hey BossFam!
This weekend I had the opportunity to take in a film that I have been anticipating for years. Message from the King stars Chadwick Boseman as Jacob King, a man from South Africa who journeys to Los Angeles to find his sister who has been silent in her communication with him back home. In his search for her, he discovers a dark twist in his sister’s story in America and seeks to find answers as to her whereabouts. Think Taken, Man on Fire, and Death Wish. The film was a great ride and gave me a brand new appreciation for bike chains.
If there’s something you need to know about me, it’s that I love westerns. Epic stories about a stranger coming into town to mix things up and exact his own brand of justice. Message from the King is one of those films. Chadwick is amazing as Jacob King and as the story unfolds, you get to see just how driven this man is.
Let’s talk about Chadwick for a bit. This man came on the scene playing only legendary black men in history (fiction and non-fiction): Jackie Robinson (42), James Brown (Get on Up), T’Challa (Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War), and Thurgood Marshall (Marshall). This man is a true to life Actor. An Actor’s Actor. I think in today’s cinematic arena in America, actors aren’t necessarily actors; they are celebrities. This is part of the reason you see people staring in films that tank critically but make money. People fill seats but the movies fail to leave lasting impressions. Which is why I think actors from overseas tend to have more powerful careers. They focus more on the art form than focusing on being a vehicle for the script to rely on. Chadwick is an American actor that has the chops to make impressive performances. His role in Message from the King not only serves as a preview for what fans will get in the upcoming Black Panther but demonstrate his range as an actor.
One thing that will always make or break a film for me is the use of an accent by an actor who wasn’t born in the country (or region) of origin of said accent. Lots of actors fail to hold these accents and can pull you out of a movie because of it. For instance, Halle Berry as Storm in the X-men movies butchered the character because of her failure to research. Alexandra Shipp, however, kills the role of Storm because her success in using the accent and studying the character and place of origin. Matt Damon… in anything that requires an accent anywhere other than Boston (This is self-explanatory, see The Brothers Grimm). What makes or breaks an accent for an actor is whether or not they can maintain that accent in scenes of heightened emotion.
Chadwick Boseman does an amazing job of bringing Jacob to life, never breaking his momentum as the character. There’s never a moment where he steps out of the accent and makes you loose him as Jacob. He’s engaging and plugs into your emotions enough so that you feel what the character is going through for the entirety of the film.
Another item of note for this film is the heavy hitting cast. Not only do we get Chadwick Boseman, but we get talent in the likes of Theresa Palmer who plays Kelly, a southern girl swallowed up by the city of Los Angeles struggling to provide to for herself and her daughter. Their lives are forever changed when Jacob comes into their lives. Luke Evens plays Wentworth, an affluent Los Angeles dentist who’s connections may help Jacob find out what happened to his sister. Alfred Molina (Spider-man 2, Raiders of the Lost Ark) and Tom Felton (Harry Potter, The Flash) also star.
Overall, this film was a heavy hitter and is a testament to Boseman’s skill as an actor. It makes me even more excited for the work that we’re going to see in Black Panther. The Superhero genre has become a solidified genre of storytelling and I think what we’re in store for from Boseman is going to be nothing short of amazing. So, check out Message from the King available on Netflix today. You won’t regret it.