directed by:
Mark Toma written by: Mark Toma genre: Mystery |
I mean, not to be downright crass, I’m just objectively reporting on what I see & all, but like, we’ve seen a pair of tig ol’ bitties, some guy blow his load, and a beheading, all before the first ninety seconds of “King Saud” are up. Call me crazy, but that’s a decent way of making sure we’re all paying attention!
This new film from Writer/Director Mark Toma has a made-for-TV look to it from the very start, but to be fair, he does use quite a bit of television/news footage as the film begins to take shape. Toma also plays roles on both sides of the lens, taking on the character of an investigator named Wolfe. It seems like he could use a nap to help fix his mood – he doesn’t like his new partner, and he’s kind of grumpy in general…who knows, maybe doing so much has got Toma burning the candle at both ends. If it’s any consolation to his new partner Lynch (Kate Orsini), it sounds like he didn’t like his last partner either. The dude gets a bit on the grabby side right away, pawing at Lynch to see if she’s wearing a wire before they’ve even had a chance to learn each other’s middle names. Maybe I’m just old-fashioned. Wolfe ain’t exactly on the level, but we’re not really in on how/why that is at first. We know he’s taking money on the job, but we’re not really sure where it’s coming from or why he still seems to be doing his job like a normal detective would - if he doesn’t actually plan on doing anything good with his badge. This whole town is loaded up with stolen valour and shields that should be given back from what we can tell early on in “King Saud.” We’ve got cop-on-cop crime, secrets & lies, and a nosy new detective in Lynch who threatens to blow the whole thing up by committing the most heinous crime of all – being honest. Wolfe is like…that odd-uncle kind of creepy, but I’ll admit, he’s sarcastic in a way that still makes him fun for us to watch. “I think my partner’s psychotic,” says Lynch…her instincts seem to be on point. If we’re all being real with each other here, then we kinda gotta admit that Wolfe is truly a grade-A P.O.S., but there does seem to be something about him that might just maybe - could be capable of redemption. I reserve the right to change my mind on that – and you should too – he hasn’t shown us his good side whatsoever yet, and like the great Maya Angelou once said, “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.” We’ve got no reason to believe Wolfe could turn his life around as “King Saud” takes shape, and he sure doesn’t seem like he’s interested in making that a priority anytime soon. Make no mistake, we’ve all got secrets – and Lynch does too. Not only is it hard to tell which side she’s really on, whether it’s Wolfe’s, the department’s, or her own – but things get even more complicated for her as she starts to take her job extremely seriously and starts sleeping with her partner in order to get all the information she can. From there, as much as I’d hate to point this out, you’ve kinda seen this movie in a variety of ways before…the lines get blurred between right & wrong, loyalties are tested & such. Don’t get me wrong; I’m being entertained, but in a much similar way as I used to be when calling in sick from school way back when & tuning into whatever the heck the afternoon movie was that day. It’s tough to distinguish a film like this from an extended episode of fill-in-the-blank cop drama that is on television, and we kinda have to wonder about whether or not this is all a vehicle for Toma to live out his dreams of being an actor by circumventing the system and simply making his own film with him cast as the lead instead of going through that whole lengthy process of typical auditioning and whatnot. I’ve honestly got some love for that – you get one freakin’ life to live y’all – if you’ve got the dough to put together a film and you wanna be the main star, who the heck would tell you to do anything otherwise? To his credit, I actually ended up really liking the character of Wolfe and the way that Toma played him. I also thought that Orsini did a solid job as his conflicted partner, Lynch – they make a good pair of highly confused cops who are just scratching the surface of a case that’s probably a whole lot bigger than they realize. Mike Saad plays a significant supporting role as Al Mahir and is an important part of this story as well, and while her screentime is fairly limited, it’s safe to say that Rachel Alig will make an impact as Carlucci too, because she’s 100% drop dead gorgeous & no one could possibly miss that, even in braille.
As far as the writing goes…I’m of two minds about “King Saud.” I think there are a lot of us out there who have seen similar concepts or movies that move in a very similar way, and to be truthful, that can become severely problematic because our brains naturally feel like we’ve got the room and space to be occupied in other ways while we’re watching. As in, this can be the kind of film where you might very well find yourself drifting in & out of, even if you feel like you’re watching intently – the main problem with “King Saud” is that it seems to be missing that standout element that commands our attention, and feels more generic than I’m sure Toma would like it to be. Films like “King Saud” stand a great risk of drowning in the sea of sameness…and again, to be honest with the guy, that should be a concern. What does work really well, is when Toma gives Wolfe the opportunity to really exercise his gums – when the dialogue is short, it can feel choppy - but when he gets the room and space to really go on a rant or two, that’s when you’ll find Mark is at his best and the writing feels more fluid and natural onscreen. Wolfe is a character, alright…very much like what the neighbour from “Empty Nest” would have been like if someone had dared to give him a badge. The attitude reigns supreme when it comes to him, which at times can be troublesome…at points, it feels like it fits, and at others, it can feel like he’s constantly trying to figure out another space for a smartass remark and comes across as a bit more forced in that regard. Soon enough, it becomes pretty clear that this is much more about the story behind the story, and what you’ll find as the central plot revolves heavily around Wolfe trying to reclaim his legitimacy…or at least a way to sleep comfortably at night while still being who he is, which can’t be all that easy. It’s not the worst idea to go in that direction, as the rest of the story was getting a little bogged down trying to compete with the attention being paid to Wolfe’s situation. I think Toma got to a point where he really had to choose between which story he was choosing to tell here, and he ended up settling on the right one of the two, in my opinion. For as unlikeable as he purports to be, Wolfe is also highly watchable, and generally speaking, his best scenes are the best ones you’ll find in “King Saud” overall. If wrapping up crimes was as easy as getting his tip wet is for him, he’d be in line for a new promotion every second Wednesday based on what we see in this film. He really is one of those dudes that passes right out after sex, though, culminating in him boning out one of the baddies and going to sleep right there on the lawn. With even more blood on his hands, metaphorically & quite literally as well, he takes a naked-ass dip in the dolphin fountain nearby before he heads to the streets to wrap this caper up once and for all, which has him squaring off philosophically with Prince Usef, played by a very dependable Adoni Maropis of “24” fame. How this ends up being all Oprah’s fault was an interesting twist no one would see coming. I’m going with three stars outta five here. I ain’t hatin’ on it, I ain’t raving about it, I’m right in the middle of the road with “King Saud,” whilst acknowledging it’s tough to make a movie from start to finish, and this was still put together well. I don’t know if the film itself is as memorable as it could have been, but the character of Wolfe certainly is - and if he’s lucky enough to survive to the end, you’ll likely wanna see him again. |
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