248. Night Of The Kings (La nuit des rois); movie review

 

NIGHT OF THE KINGS (LA NUIT DES ROIS)

Cert 15

93 mins

BBFC advice: Contains scene of sexual threat, bloody images

Violent prison dramas have become a staple part of the cinema calendar and so finding originality in the genre is becoming harder.

That may have prompted the makers of Night Of The Kings to go for something completely different.

They alight upon a central character, played by Bakary Koné - a young man who is sent to the notorious  La Maca jail, ruled by its inmates in the middle of a forest in the Ivory Coast.

Meanwhile, the boss (Steve Tientcheu) of the jail is dying and, if he follows tradition will kill himself before he expires.

Despite breathing with the aid of an oxygen cylinder, he is unwilling to give up his power, even though his lieutenant (Jean Cyrille Digbeu) is itching to rule.

Indeed, he carries out the ritual at the rising of the red moon, designating the new inmate to be the new “Roman” who must tell a story to the other prisoners. 

If he doesn't or maybe even if he does, he will be killed.

Consequently, he makes up a story about a legendary outlaw called the Zama King and sets about making it last until dawn.

Philippe Lacôte's movie is a strange one - oozing extreme violence and yet including surreal moments in which it slips into song and dance.

I felt that the mix diluted the impact of the dangerous, claustrophobic environment.

The premise of gangsters running their own jail with proper hierarchy and traditions, only observed at a distance by guards, is interesting and elements are well executed.

But I was distracted by its tangents.

Reasons to watch: Gritty and unusual prison drama

Reasons to avoid: Too many surreal tangents

Laughs: None

Jumps: One

Vomit: None

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 7/10

Did you know? The real-life Abidjan prison is located out of sight at the border of the Banco forest and hosts 5,000 inmates but has capacity for 1,500. With the inmates’ help, life inside is organised and a degree of stability exists.

The final word. Philippe Lacôte: “I try to make fiction with real and true stories. It’s important when I speak about one world to have the reality in it. Among the cast, 25% of extras are former prisoners and it was “important to have this authenticity.” Deadline

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