Life of a King – Movie Review
Director: Jake Goldberger
Writer: Jake Goldberger, David Scott, Dan Wetzel (Screenplay)
Cast
- Cuba Gooding Jr (Snow Dogs)
- Dennis Haysbert (24)
- LisaGay Hamilton (Jackie Brown)
- Thurston Hill III
- J.D. Walsh (Bad Boys 2)
Plot: Ex-felon, Eugene Brown, establishes a Chess Club for inner city teenagers in Washington, D.C.
Runtime: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Life of a King starts when Eugene Brown (Gooding Jr) gets released from prison. His mentor in prison Searcy (Haysbert) taught him how to play chess and how it can dictate his life. Eugene ends up getting a job at the local school where his kids attended.
Although he has seen just how bad the neighbourhood has become. When a chance opportunity occurs for him to look after a detention class, Eugene looks to teach them chess. While he is trying to fix his own mistakes, he finds himself inspiring a new class to learn about discipline and move away from the drug world they are bound to get caught up in.
Verdict on Life of a King
Life of a King is a drama following a former con that looks to teach kids from his local neighbourhood the game of chess. He wants to help them and guide them so they don’t make the same mistakes he did when he was younger. All in hope of showing them a brighter future than many expect to have.
This is another movie that gets to dive into people who look to make a difference in troubled neighbourhoods. It shows the troubles they must overcome to get started and how the more dangerous side can be more appealing to some. The idea of using chess to teach discipline in life is important and effective for everyone involved. This gets the message over and is told in a nice way to prove people can get a fresh start.
Final Thoughts – Life of a King sends a big message about giving people a chance to shine.
