Call Her King

Call Her King is a fun, interesting crossover of action thriller and political commentary. Specifically, commentary on the iniquities of the US Justice system and the ingrained discrimination faced daily by black people within it.

Basic set-up. Jaeda King (Naturi Turton) is, as the cliché goes, ‘young, gifted and black’. Also, a woman. So, you might expect her to be a ‘bleeding heart liberal’. But, no. For reasons that will become clear she is to be found on the side of the legal conservatives.

Jaeda is all set to hand down sentence in the case of Sean Samuels (Jason Mitchell), a young black man found guilty of multiple murders when… her courtroom is invaded by a bunch of ne’er-do-wells. That is, by a small army hired by Sean’s brother, Gabriel (Lance Goss) – aka ‘Black Caesar’ – with the aim of springing Sean.

Jaeda, however, escapes, taking with her Sean and a couple more refugees from the oncoming bloodbath. Cue stereotypical action thriller, as Jaeda turns out to be not unversed in street-fighting skills and cuts a swathe through the band of nasties.

However, back in the courtroom, things are getting interesting. For Gabriel has taken it upon himself to re-try the trial, in the process forcing out into the cold light of day some pretty unsavoury practices by the apparatus of the state.

This is political. Not just within the narrative of the film, but also as it will undoubtedly be received by the audience. It is unlikely to enthuse the ‘Law n’ Order’ brigade in the US. Or anywhere else, for that matter. As they maybe don’t quite say in It’s A Wonderful Life: “every time we hear from Caesar, another Republican has a seizure.”

Sorry!

It’s a difficult trick to pull off. With two locations acting as stage for two very different types of action, the film could easily have fractured. It doesn’t, thanks to director Wes Miller who maintains a unity of tone across the whole by ensuring that the court bits are not entirely devoid of action, and don’t get too preachy… OK. Mostly they don’t get too preachy. At the same time, alongside the predictable bone crunching and gunfire, Jaeda pauses her escape attempt from time to time to consider her own position.

Realistic? Not entirely. Like, if I was being pursued by a bunch of homicidal maniacs, I’d probably not pause en route to engage in philosophising about the nature of justice within a white supremacist/patriarchal system. I’d be too busy shooting baddies/hiding.

But, hey! If I wanted my action films realistic, I’d never again watch anything starring Tom Cruise or Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The ending is ‘interesting’, and includes a couple of twists and turns that you likely won’t see coming. Not sure I approve of that, since if you allow anything to happen without preparing for it in the earlier narrative, that feels a lot like cheating. Also, at points where the film has opportunity to resolve a thing, it very pointedly does not. Directorial cop-out? Or, as seems clear from the way it does end, set-up for Call Her King II?

Oh. Don’t stop watching when it ‘ends’, because there is a scene, Marvel-style, that clicks in after the credits start to roll.

A perfectly watchable action movie that also engages a degree of critical thinking. If you like that sort of thing, do take the time to see it.