3 Short Paragraphs: Message from the King

 2016, Fabrice du Welz (Cold 45) -- Netflix

Hollywood memory is weird. COVID memory, doubly so. I remember this as being the first Chadwick Boseman movie to come out after Black Panther but in reality, it was released two years prior. IIRC then it must have shown up on Netflix, not long after BP. They both share a reality in Boseman's career, in body size and intimidation factor, and in fake African accent. And yes, I finally got around to watching it because of the continued impact of his death. Even if you ignore the influence the MCU had on his career, I had a feeling he was coming into his own, someone to be the next Tough Guy actor, one that didn't rely on the massive bulk many currently have.

Boseman plays Jacob King, who shows up in LA from South Africa seeking his little sister Bianca. He's obviously a fish out of water, with little cash in his pocket and even less knowledge of what he is walking into. Yet he walks with a sense of calm and lack of fear, and a sense of purpose. While his sister and he had a falling out, something had gone wrong, and he was here to find her and set things right. Alas, things went very wrong for Bianca.

This movie, by Begian-French director du Welz, struck me as a story that was meant to be set in Paris, but was transposed to the US for bank. It just had a feel, in the way the rundown neighbourhoods were portrayed, and King's meagre exploration of the city that is LA, that it was meant to be set... elsewhere. Or perhaps that was the style chosen to allow us to walk in his boots, to experience the City of Angels through the eyes of a stranger seemingly unfamiliar with the tropes of America, but still at ease in presenting himself to the criminal underbelly. The way we know nothing about King, plays into an easy story of revenge, which had the potential to go anywhere. But there was always a hint of a very capable man behind his angry eyes, leaving the movie more as an enjoyable character piece than anything else.