Night of the Kings

Night of the Kings follows a young man as he’s sent to a deadly Côte d’Ivoire prison and immediately forced into becoming the institution’s storyteller, with the narrative subsequently detailing the character’s efforts at staving off a potential execution by keeping his fellow inmates enthralled. Filmmaker Philippe Lacôte delivers a striking drama that suffers from a somewhat arms-length feel that prevents the viewer from fully connecting to the material, with the most obvious impediment to the picture’s wholehearted success a slight (yet confusing) storyline that progresses at a lamentably sluggish pace (ie the politics of the prison are rather difficult to follow, to say the least). It’s clear, then, that Night of the Kings benefits from its strong performances and gritty, eye-opening atmosphere, and there’s little doubt, as well, that the eventual emphasis on the protagonist’s fantasy-infused tale effectively opens the proceedings up beyond its grimy prison walls – which does, in the end, cement the movie’s place as an original (if palpably overlong) drama that bodes well for Lacôte’s future endeavors behind the camera.

**1/2 out of ****