Night of the Kings

In a chaotic prison run by inmates, order is observed in an odd custom: one man must tell a story through a blood moon night and die at its end. In this gritty Scherazade tale, the unlucky young man's unlikely protector is a purportedly "cracked up" outsider on the inside who sports an Oscar-worthy chicken on his shoulder. A poignant film superbly acted, "Night of the Kings" begs the question: if we abandon the customs on which rules are grafted, could we stray outside our self-made prisons and breath fresh air?

Really great film which is defintley of the magical realism genre, which I am a fan of anyway,

BEDTIME STORY When survival means keeping a dangerous, unruly, and captive mob at bay with an overnight tall tale, it better be good. "Night of Kings" is a riveting, theatrical Ivory Coast prison film that eschews physical action in favour of a flowing, Shakespearian drama. Run by an aging overlord dubbed Blackbeard, this cramped world capsule on the verge of anarchy is a clever analogy of larger systems beyond these walls. Their ruler is in trouble, with his health failing he must hold off the warring factions hungry for power, and he chooses a fresh inmate to cast a spell of procrastination with a red moon story. His new "Roman" is tasked with enrapturing the heaving masses until the moon sets, a feat that will spare his life. Though based on fact, the story within the story about the revered Zama King, is enriched with magical fiction which serves to engage the itchy inmates who prove a tough but eager audience. The oral tradition of history is a fascinating one, and "Night of Kings" shows how an effective messenger can develop the plot for various means. As rival gangs scramble in their quest for power, velvety rich colours pierce the shadows of the MACA prison transforming the harsh institution into a vibrant stage. For one night at least. Will the messenger survive the night? What really happened to the Zama King? Who will seize power? Patience, patience. - hipCRANK

This is an intriguing story and it may make you think about the tribal cultures of people from the area. I thought it was fairly engrossing, seeing what happened, even if the chronology is jumped about a bit. Of course it is fairly grim, given the setting (in a prison) and everything. I liked the almost communal singing and the scenes depicting locals in their tribal costumes and the like. There's a local legend type feel to it in part. This is a film with a definite sense of threat looming throughout but that kept me watching, even though it isn't exactly the cheeriest watch, certainly. I thought its a good bit of world cinema, yes.

A pretty profound film. Creative, and interesting it was appealing to me do to the fact it takes place on the Côte d'Ivoire, with scenery in Abidjan. The protagonist seems to demonstrate uncouthness and is noticeable immediately to the leader of the inmates. He is a diminutive figure and is treated as such. The movie is a little hard to follow, however still is a captivating work of art.

A gripping, imaginative movie set in the Ivory Coast, Night of the Kings centers on a young criminal named Roman who is forced to use his imagination to survive two nights in a lawless jail. In reality, our Roman (the title of a storyteller, our character's proper name is never given) is little more than a pawn in a bigger game of jail politics as the overlord plays a dangerous game to hold onto power as he physically weakens. What proceeds is a fascinating tale-within-a-tale as the Roman desperately weaves real life and fantasy to pass the time and remain alive. The setup and execution of this film is brilliant in its use of storytelling as the narrative intercuts between the story being told and life inside the jail. Barry Kone as the Roman, the storyteller of the movie does an incredible job, transitioning from confused and helpless to confident to desperate as he spins his plates and lays his anecdote. The prison's Dangoro, or overlord, played by Steve Tientcheu is a quiet, brooding man wasting away as he feels his power slipping. Tientcheu plays the character smaller than his large frame suggests, sitting or laying down the majority of the time tethered to an oxygen tank. While he doesn't get much screentime, his presence is felt throughout as some inmates scheme against him and others furiously protect him. Lacote's second outing after 2015's politically charged film Run, Night of the Kings shows no signs of a sophomore slump. He wastes little time getting to the point, dumping the Roman in the thick of things, leaving him, and by virtue us, confused and bewildered as events play out around him. The mixture of hardened criminals, prison politics, and world-weary wardens flesh out the world of this prison as a grimy gulag, a spot in the middle of nowhere where all the inmates have to look forward to is stories. The power and seduction of storytelling is the very heart of the matter, as inmates eagerly assist the Roman, acting out bits of his story in a sort of mimed improvisation that gives us a peek into not just the imagination of the Roman, but the imagination of these criminals as well. The story within the story told is a muddled mess, a result of a kid who's putting together any and everything in a desperate attempt at holding their attention. Directed wonderfully by Lacote, he makes you feel the dirt and the grime of the place, the desperation of the inmates for a good story and the desperation of the overlord, playing this final hand to keep his supremacy. Overall, The Night of the Kings is well worth the time spent watching. An ode to storytelling itself, and how stories are shaped and molded, it's rife with all the necessary ingredients: great characters, great visuals, and ticking clocks. A fascinating story, wonderfully acted by both the actual actors and the inmates within the film, and perfectly paced at 93 minutes makes this a quick, engrossing, enjoyable film that will you leave you wondering what other stories this region of the world is capable of.

A true original, NIght Of The Kings is quite unlike anything I've seen before. Set in a prison in the middle of an Ivory Coast jungle, a new inmate must prove his worth by telling a story. The prison, 'La Maca' is run by its prisoners, and headed up by 'The Boss', who we meet struggling to breathe and accompanied by an oxygen tank. The Boss is clearly on his last legs, and we learn that due to La Maca's tradition, when The Boss is dying and the Red Moon is approaching, The Boss must step aside by taking his own life. The new inmate, christened 'Roman' by The Boss, is informed he must tell a story to the other prisoners throughout the night, initially unaware that his story will determine whether he lives or dies at the end of it. If it sounds odd, that's because it undoubtedly is, and yet the acting from this cast is nothing short of astounding. We see the film through the eyes of the prisoners but are also shown the 'story' told by Roman through visions he may be remembering or may have made up. There isn't a thought given to the outside world, apart from one throwaway comment, and it gives the film a real claustrophobia that makes you feel you're front and centre for the whole thing. What's real and what's not is very much left to the viewer, there's a number of ways one could interpret the film. Is the entire film a figment of Roman's imagination, does he truly believe his own story he tells, or is the story to be taken at face value? There are arguments to all of these, and more, but watch it for yourself and make your own minds up. Impressive.

Extraordinary film. It takes a little while to mentally adjust to the world we enter but once there we see things about ourselves which are hard to know in modern society. These include our capacity for tolerance as well as violence, the importance of ritual, hierarchy and storytelling as part of the glue which binds us together. This is a world of spirits and magic, where each acknowledges their fall from grace and accepts the fragility of life. Definitely not a date movie!

Utterly captivating and spellbinding. I'm not sure I've ever felt so entranced by a film. It's slow and you either are gonna love it or hate it. This film is a work of art without much of a canvas. Writer and director Philippe Lacôte is a credit to film in this multiple foreign language feature. Final Score: 8.8/10

Night of the Kings is quite memorable, effective and intriguing in its strong first half where the character dynamics and hierarchy were fascinating. The second half introduced flashbacks into the procedure and it was much less interesting to watch. The movie was overly ambitious for such a short runtime, resulting in a daring, but flawed product.