Message from the King: A Dark and Brutal Revenge Thriller

Dunia Film - Message from the King: A Dark and Brutal Revenge Thriller Starring Chadwick Boseman. Message from the King is a 2016 film that follows a South African man who travels to Los Angeles to find his missing sister and uncovers a web of corruption and violence.

The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Teresa Palmer, Luke Evans, and Alfred Molina, and is directed by Fabrice Du Welz. What would you do if your sister went missing in a foreign city and no one seemed to care?

Message from the King: A Dark and Brutal Revenge Thriller

How far would you go to find out the truth and make the culprits pay?

These are the questions that drive Message from the King, a gritty and gripping revenge thriller that showcases the talents of Chadwick Boseman, who plays the lead role of Jacob King, a mysterious and ruthless vigilante.

Message from the King is a departure from the usual roles of Boseman, who is best known for playing iconic figures such as Jackie Robinson, James Brown, and Black Panther. In Message from the King, he delivers a raw and intense performance as a man who will stop at nothing to avenge his sister's death.

Plot Summary

The film Message from the King, begins with Jacob King arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, carrying only a few hundred dollars and a piece of paper with his sister's address. He soon discovers that his sister, Bianca, has not been in touch with him for weeks, and that her apartment is empty and ransacked.

He tracks down her neighbor, Kelly (Teresa Palmer), a single mother and a nurse who works at a strip club, and learns that Bianca was involved with some dangerous people, including a drug dealer named Frank (Luke Evans) and a powerful lawyer named Preston (Alfred Molina).

Jacob decides to take matters into his own hands and begins to investigate Bianca's disappearance, using his fists and a bicycle chain as his weapons of choice. Along the way, he encounters various obstacles and enemies, such as corrupt cops, gangsters, and politicians, who are all connected to a sinister conspiracy that led to Bianca's demise.

Jacob also forms an unlikely bond with Kelly, who helps him navigate the city and offers him some human warmth. The film culminates in a violent showdown between Jacob and Preston, where Jacob finally learns the shocking truth about his sister and delivers his message from the king.

Themes and Analysis

Message from the King is a film that explores the themes of justice, family, and identity, in the context of a dark and brutal depiction of Los Angeles. The film portrays the city as a place of corruption, exploitation, and violence, where the rich and powerful prey on the poor and vulnerable, and where the law and order are twisted and manipulated.

The film also contrasts the culture and values of Jacob, who comes from a poor and oppressed background in South Africa, and the culture and values of the people he encounters in Los Angeles, who are driven by greed, selfishness, and hedonism.

Jacob represents a moral force, a righteous anger, and a primal instinct, that challenges and disrupts the status quo of the city. He is also a complex and ambiguous character, who is not a typical hero, but rather an anti-hero, who uses brutal and questionable methods to achieve his goals.

He is motivated by his love for his sister, but also by his own sense of guilt, shame, and failure, as he feels responsible for her fate. He is also searching for his own identity, as he tries to find his place and purpose in a foreign and hostile environment.

Message from the King also examines the theme of family, both in terms of blood and in terms of choice. Jacob's bond with his sister is the driving force of his actions, and the source of his pain and rage. He also forms a surrogate family with Kelly and her son, who offer him some compassion and support, and who also have their own struggles and traumas.

The film also shows the contrast between Jacob's family and the families of his enemies, who are either dysfunctional, abusive, or nonexistent. The film suggests that family is not only a matter of genetics, but also a matter of loyalty, trust, and care.

Conclusion

Message from the King is a film that delivers a thrilling and satisfying revenge story, with a strong and charismatic performance by Chadwick Boseman.

Message from the King is also a stylish and atmospheric neo-noir, that exposes the dark and dirty side of Los Angeles. The film is not for the faint of heart, as it features graphic and realistic violence, and a bleak and nihilistic tone. However, for fans of the genre, and of Boseman, the film is a must-see.