Kings and Desperate Men

I love this movie and watch it frequently but the technical work on the film is simply horrible. The recording of the sound is so bad that one wonders what some of the characters are saying. The film is full of overdubs which stand out. The lighting in certain scenes particularly in the Aldini party is so poor that you wish that the film had made it to DVD so that we could witness a clearer picture. What saves the picture and makes it interesting is the storyline and the acting (even though McGoohan goes off the deep end, acting wise, towards the end of the film. Alexis Kanner is very good and gives a subtle yet strong performance and Patrick McGoohan cannot do better as the burned out, cynical radio talk show host. This film deserves a remake with todays story lines it would be a better film.

Slow boil. That's how I would describe this Canadian drama/thriller.This is not an action movie as much as it is a battle of wits sort of like Sleuth. I could easily imagine this story being performed on stage with the setting being John Kingsley's studio.

Like any fan of the classic surrealistic torrent of a TV show, The Prisoner. Patrick McGoohan's show ran for 17 episodes. It ended in a sea of controversy because it refused to follow the conventions of storytelling. Alexis Kanner appeared in three different episodes of that show. His characters were wild, unpredictable and boyishly devious. McGoohan thought enough about Kanner to have him return for the series finale which was filmed a year after it's predecessor leading up to it. McGoohan directed Kanner and now in Kings and Desperate Men, Kanner is directing McGoohan.

The film uses audio a lot in the beginning and frankly, it's a little frantic and disorientating not knowing who is speaking. If you listen carefully later, you are able to put faces to the voices. This is an enigmatic beginning to any film.

The story revolves around a British radio talk show host, living in Canada, who himself/his wife, his son and his radio show are all held hostage. Also being held hostage is a judge who sentenced a man to jail for 15 years. His crime was vehicular manslaughter. The, let's call them domestic terrorists, either acting out of friendship fr the convicted man, or revenge on his behalf, or out of some political motive seize the people and the show to hold a 'public trial' of the man who was sentenced to 15 years.

Now, like any movie or theater project led by an actor, the story is fueled heavily by the characters. Much of the story is a battle of wits between the ringleader of the terrorists, Lucas Miller played by Alexis Kanner (in one of his last appearances in front of the camera) and the radio host Kinglsey played by McGoohan.

The movie also features the then wife of the then PM of Canada, Margaret Trudeau. Andrea Marcovicci who, I frankly know her best from The Stuff is memorable as one of the six terrorists. Her character is somewhat of a loose cannon much like Frank Moore's portrayal. He played one of the terrorists also.

If you have an appreciation for these actors already (especially Prisoner fans) you will find this movie to be a treat. If you enjoy a somewhat out of left field psychological thriller then you will find this to be a treat also. There's enough eccentricities and black humor to make the near 2 hours pleasurable and rewarding.

John Kingsley is a former stage actor who hosts a Canadian based radio phone in on various topics in a provocative and sniping style. As Christmas approaches he is tricked into opening up his studio to an armed radical historian and his partner, whose colleagues are holding Kingsley's wife and son as well as a city's mayor, in order to bring attention to an unjustly sentenced hit and run driver.

The aims seem lofty, co-writer, director and star Alexis Kanner attempts commentary on political ambition and naivety, misdirected violence, class and celebrity. However, he hands in a pretentiously edited and shot, self consciously arty and clunky dialogue driven drama with what appears to be an appropriately inebriated performance from Patrick McGoohan as the suave, sozzled, and compromised radio host. Kanner's own dazed turn as the would-be intellectual champion of justice fails to launch, but his finished product has spirit and a daring that could either be admired or jeered at (as many critics did). As seen from previous reviews connoisseurs of McGoohan and Kanner's interactions in The Prisoner will scan this movie for other significances.

Despite the presence of the usually fascinating Patrick McGoohan, "Kings and Desperate Men" is almost a total failure. From a plot standpoint, the elaborate hostage taking scheme over a comrade's 15 year sentence for vehicular homicide seems unlikely at best and totally unbelievable at worst. The relationship of the hostage takers to the imprisoned criminal is never explained, and a who cares attitude permeates the film. From a technical standpoint, things are even worse. Long segments of dialog are incomprehensible, and the camera-work could only be described as annoying. What you get is a boring movie that will be a form of punishment for almost everyone. - MERK

The director or director of photography, or some other "genius" used the tired old trick of letting the camera be the eyes of one of the characters. Unfortunately, this, combined with "disembodied voices" makes watching this film remind one of a really bad alcoholic hangover!

Given the choice between watching this turkey and a real hangover, ...I'm out the door to the nearest liquor store!