Kings of the Evening

I had the pleasure of watching Kings of the Evening and I was amazed by the film. I will be the first to admit that I know mostly nothing about the art of film making. And so I rightfully take my place alongside every other typical film consumer. What I can say to my credit is that I am an educated viewer and Kings of the Evening is a story well-planned and thoughtfully told. There are so few films these days that are respectful and mindful of its audience; this was not the case with Kings of the Evening. The unfolding of the story was generous, offering me an opportunity to experience characters during an era that rarely meet the silver screen. The story was rich and again, kind to the audience. What a rarity these days! This story is a wonderful tool for drawing in a piece of American history with such an unlikely story of hope! I so enjoyed the character interaction and was simply dazzled by the energy, depth and seriousness of character portrayal undertaken by each actor. Kudos to the writer(s), producer(s), director(s) and most importantly to each actor; you each brought light and life to a wonderful story.

As another reviewer mentioned, Kings of the Evening doesn't really live up to it's hype. We're given a host of characters with rich potential but their stories never seem to move in any forward direction. Subplots are introduced then suddenly muted like a big tease.

The title refers to a weekly contest during The Great Depression that allows the menfolk of the town an opportunity to show that, despite the hard times they're living in, they can still dress sharp and still walk tall with dignity. However, this exhibition is the least substantive of the movie and it only serves as a teasing vehicle for fans of Tyson Beckford whose real claim to fame is as a fashion model and not an actor (ironically, he only features in the actual contest for a mere 7 seconds at the end of the movie). His lukewarm performance here only reinforces that reputation. He's mostly dead wood here. (He looks very out of place on the chain gang in the introduction).

The other performances try to shine to make the story stronger than it is. Lynne Whitfield as always is beautiful and passionate as ever in her role as the house landlady. Linara Washington, as Lucy, is pretty face I'm not familiar with since I don't watch a lot of TV where she's better known, but she gives a fine performance as one of the borders of the house. Reginald Dorsey outshines most of the cast as the fast-talking and dapper hustler and border Benny. I wish he had at least gotten more of a backstory or his own subplot. James Russo and Bruce McGill are their typical evil and venomous selves. But it's veteran actor Glynn Turman who eats up the movie. He shows almost everything here. His down-trodden and drunken Clarence is the greatest example of how many men of all persuasions felt during the era, unable to find work, hiding behind the bottle and ready to end it all to escape the weight of shame of not being able to pay your own way as a man.

Despite the negatives, the movie still manages to put elicit a few smiles between some decent performances and friendly gestures of kindness. There's also surprisingly little racism or racial animosity during a time when poverty had thrown all races and nationalities into the same financial binds. Accurate or not, it was good black movie that wasn't totally marred by the conflict of racial differences and allowed the viewer to be entertained.

This film stands out because of its universal message and, the surprising talents of Tyson Beckford. Beckford plays a humbled, small man (not an easy task for someone known for his looks and physique)and the evolution of his character is seamless. Veteran actors generously share screen time with the lesser known and yet the entire cast gives standout performances.

And, the film isn't a "black" film per se...it features a black cast, but it's message and meaning apply to humanity at large. Subtle gestures and grand, sweeping shots make this film a must-see for lovers of beautiful cinematography and inspiring content.

Although this movie had quite a few well-known actors, it lacked excitement and depth. At times it was very slow-moving and boring and you kept waiting for something profound to occur, but to my disappointment, there were a lot of clichés and was very predictable. After seeing the Great Debaters with Denzel, where the story was built around justice and equal rights, which is something that really matters to society; this movie was definitely in another league. It lacked creativity, excitement, suspense, and newness. I didn't walk away from it feeling as if its message made an impact on me. Having read rave reviews about it in various articles, I expected so much more, and got way more less than anticipated.

First of all, I had the opportunity to hear a Q & A session, where the key players explained how the writer derived the story from true events of a real fashion show in South Africa. "Kings of the Evening" is a one of a kind. This movie is truly entertaining, and has a certain mental keenness about how the story is told. Each character is defined from the beginning, starting with Lucy Waters whose character is revealed in one of the first scenes where her co- workers compensate her docked wages. Linara Washington impressively played the role to coin a paradigm for the hard-working woman. Simply put, the intimacy expressed in each scene makes you connect to each character. That is what I believe Film-Making is all about. Lastly, the performance of Glynn Turman is again striking and he is a favorite on screen always! GREAT JOB!