Gael Garcia Bernal (THE MOTORCYCLE DIARIES) may posses the rugged good looks of a classic screen star but he continues to dodge Hollywood, instead choosing to follow his own idiosyncratic path with movies like THE KING. Bernal stars as Elvis Valderez, a recently discharged Navy recruit who travels to Corpus Christi, Texas, to track down the father he's never met. But when he finds him, Elvis is in for a shock; his father, David Sandow (William Hurt, who surely based his performance on the all-too-real John Mark Byers from PARADISE LOST), is the leader of a Baptist congregation in Corpus Christi, and has instilled strong Christian values in all of his family. David wants the rogue-like Elvis to steer clear of his flock, perhaps fearing that he'll reveal long-buried secrets about David's past. But when the ex-Navy man sees his father's daughter, 16-year-old Malerie (Pell James), he longs to form a romantic bond with her. Initially unaware that Malerie is his half-sister, Elvis continues to pursue her even when he discovers their family relationship, leading to smalltown tumult with plenty of unexpected twists in the plot.
Despite having only one prior film to his name (the wonderfully gloomy documentary WISCONSIN DEATH TRIP) director James Marsh pulls some great performances from Bernal and Hurt, and beautifully captures the dazzling sunlit countryside of this small Texan outpost. Indeed, cinematographer Eigil Bryld--who also worked with Marsh on his previous film--plays a big part in setting the tone of the movie with his stark use of color, which is well matched by an accomplished script from Milo Addica (MONSTER'S BALL).
DVD Features
Region 1 Keep Case Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.78 Full Frame - 1.33 Audio: Closed Captioned - English Dolby Digital 5.1- English Dolby Digital Stereo 2.0 - English Subtitles - Spanish - optional Additional Release Material: Making Of: Actor Rehearsals Audio Commentary: Filmmakers (unspecified) Trailers: Original Theatrical Trailer Interactive Features: Scene Access Interactive Menus
A breakthrough film by young director James Marsh. This film had me hanging on with bated breath just wondering where it was going. I was totally unprepared for the end, which was dynamite! Gael... Read the whole review at MatchFlick
