07-03-23 One Night With The King (2006)

Seen: March 16th, 2007
Format: DVD
Rating: 2

Biblical movies are tough. They're period films by definition. They tell stories cherished by millions over millennia. They're subject to a certain amount of interpretation. They're dramatic by nature.

There's so much that can go wrong. And most of it does.

Wow, where to start?

First, the good thing.

Tiffany Dupont is very good. She's pretty, talented and manages to bring an impressive humility and sincerity to her character even while delivering bombastic and stilted dialogue. She's true to her character, and we believe it.

Everyone else is abominable. There are great actors here. Actors of immense talent. They are badly used, badly directed, badly costumed. There are terrible actors here. They also are badly used,badly directed and badly costumed.

The acting is, for the most part, stilted and overblown. The dialogue is generally over-dramatic. The veteran actors obviously struggle to maintain some air of credibility while delivering their lines. Tiny Lister suffers perhaps the least, as he's used to delivering ridiculous dialogue. His casting here is a complete mystery to me.

The producers seem to try to make up for all this by splurging on sets and costumes. Hegai's accoutrements border on the silly. The shaved and oiled Xerces is strange at the least. The sets, both real and especially virtual, border on the insane side of grandeur. They seem more fitting for a science fiction film than a biblical one.

The symbolism is blunt and ham-handed. We are shown a two second cut of vultures overhead after someone leaves, and immediately cut to a boat in the dead of night. What is that all about? Haman's sigil contains a badly disguised swastika, an ancient symbol that will only be associated with anti-semitism in the 20th century.

I'm simply stunned at the execution of this story, and execution is the right word here. I can't believe how badly the producers fail to produce an even passable film given the compelling nature of the subject. They believe that the story and eye candy will carry the film, and they're just wrong.

The Good: Tiffany Dupont actually sells her part.

The Bad: Bad cheese of Biblical proportions.

The Ugly: Tiny Lister as a eunuch with a significant speaking part.