"The Rivals of the Amziah King" REVIEW

Published on 8/24/2026 

Written by: Braylon Mitchell 

Directed by: Andrew Patterson 

Cast: Matthew McConaughey, Angelina LookingGlass, Kurt Russell, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori, Jake Horowitz, etc. 

Plot: Amziah King, beekeeper, musician, and anchor of his community, reunites with former foster daughter Kateri after many years apart, and fends off threats to his honey business. 

REVIEW 

Having premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival last year to very strong audience reactions, positive critical response, and awards buzz; last year I absolutely expected this film to be acquired by a major studio such as A24 or Netflix, with a 2025 fall festival run and subsequent awards campaign to follow. That never happened, last year came and went without the inclusion of "The Rivals of the Amziah King" in any major way. Now it's August 2026, and this film has been dropped in theaters. It's being seen and talked about, but I can't help but feel like it's been dumped out into theaters. Black Bear Pictures is a good, respectable indie studio that distributes some great films and does a solid job of giving them cross-country wide-releases (they were behind "Tuner" earlier this year, which was a clear standout of the first half of the year) but they simply don't have the resources or industry weight to push this film as the big event many expected it to be after its festival premiere well over a year ago. This film's path to a release had been on my mind for a while now, that's why I mention it. Now that this film has finally come out, I'm glad to say that it's the crowdpleaser that I'd hoped for. I have my issues with the film, and I'll get into those later—but I can't deny that there's something special about this film, something so efficient, that I've found myself unable to fully stop thinking about it in the days since I watched it. This film's biggest strength is the vitality of its music, to the plot and to the film itself. Whether its scenes of Amziah and his band singing or the wonderful film score, this film lets its music breathe in and out as a representative of what it wants to convey with its themes and atmosphere. At its heart, this is a film about community and culture—those themes are sung beautifully through the film's focus on music. The world building of this rural Oklahoma feels so alive and detailed, excellently built mainly through realistic cultural keystones such as food and music. In this film's arsenal of originality is its frequently practiced ability to switch up on you. Right off the bat from the opening scene, the film seemingly switches up its tone and direction every few scenes. I found that to be working very well for the first forty minutes or so, until a large tonal shift entirely shifts everything about the film onto a new path—a shift that's certainly bold and shocking, but a transition so jagged that I felt like the rest of the film never fully recovered. From that shift onwards the film morphs into more of a crime mystery/revenge film, keeping the musical and communal elements of the first act alive but much more lessened and messily tied in as the thematic terrain feels rough throughout. Also, for as much as I hate to criticize a breakthrough performance from a young actor, I've got to say that I found Angelina LookingGlass' performance to be too dry to command the film in a leading capacity. Then again, I found her character to be dry as well and lacking of a dimensional compass or drive outside of servicing the plot. By the end of the film, I was slightly won over by how it reincorporates some themes and there's a hell of car chase sequence that riveted me, but I can't help feeling a tad disappointed with how rough a majority of the film was—especially after a pretty fantastic first act. Granted, since watching this film I've softened some of my criticisms as ultimately it's proven to be a cinematic experience that's stayed with me and its boldness is commendable. While flawed, I'm kind of compelled to say that's a novelty of why "The Rivals of the Amziah King" sticks with you. This is a very enjoyable, original film with an incredible sense of musical commune. 

THREE BEST ELEMENTS

• Matthew McConaughey's performance. Although he starred in Paul Greengrass' "The Lost Bus" last year, this film feels like McConaughey's big return to cinema after a half-a-decade  break. His screen presence, charm, and likability are off the charts in this film as the titular character Amziah. Dramatically and musically, McConaughey delivers a stellar performance. One of his very best. 

• The score. Composed by Erick Alexander and Jason Bulmer, this film's score is killer. Very prevalently utilized throughout the film, it's an energetic bluegrass influenced folky score that drives the film forward. 

• The soundtrack. On top of an excellent instrumental film score, this film has several original songs included—all of which are performed within the film, and all of which are wonderful. In particular, the song "Quill" and the scene where it's the centerpiece is very memorable. 

WORST ELEMENT 

• The film shifting tones often feel rough and messy. 

RATING

7/10

It's an easy recommendation from me, buddy!