My Kingdom (2001) Reviews

• Richard Harris´s last performance apparently,

  L8Hatter2003-12-21

  and one his best. He plays the boss of a Liverpool rime family, whose own naivety brings his downfall. This is based on King Lear but it doesn´t really work for me here. We´re supposed to believe that this tough, streetwise gang boss would be stupid enough not to see the consequences of his actions (I don´t want to give the story away, but those familiar with King Lear will know what happens. This supposed sudden naivety goes totally aginst the grain of the character Harris portrays in the film up until his fateful decision. It was an interesting idea but just doesn´t work for me and the second half of the film becomes increasingly silly as a consequence. I´ve also no idea why one of the main gangsters is a Sihk. Liverpool is unusual amongst British cities in having a very small asian population and I don´t think I´ve ever seen a Sihk there. Strange. That said, it´s not a bad film. There´s some good camerawork, Harris is on good form and the supporting cast are mostly very good. 8/10 for the first half of the film, 5/10 for the second.

• A dark and beautiful film

  luciano82002-06-02

  King Lear set in gangster Liverpool. Dark, with a blue hue, this film wrenches you with anxiety as the characters struggle. The acting performances do not betray the inspired direction and cinematography. Do not miss this film.

• A story not an action film

  albertovalls2005-11-11

  A film found in DVD/VCR recorder I just bought. I would not have seen it otherwise. So thanks to whoever tested it with this film and left it in it. This film is a story about a family in the criminal underworld. The terms Gangsters and Mobsters give the wrong impression, it is supposed to be inspired by King Lear after all. My wife who studied King Lear at college, found the underlying story and characters did resemble that of King Lear. A controlling father toward the end of his life finds rebellion in the family. It is quite believable that someone as busy as he appears to have been in his life misses out on the most important things with his daughters,(love etc) and finds a chasm he did not know existed. Events unfold and he has to set straight the dishonourable way his daughters treat him. The cold and calculating way in which this is done is what makes a "gangster" not the usual portrayal of beating up everyone who disagrees with them, but if you cross them that is a different matter. People like the Krays, were in the minority in doing this, or they would not have been so infamous. All in all an enjoyable dark film.

• Boyd at his Best

  amanda-772002-06-02

  Richard Harris leads a wonderful cast in this powerful, moving, beautiful film, 'My Kingdom'. Liverpool's grit and squalor, in its underworld of gangsters and corruption, is depicted with vibrant colour and power by Boyd. Harris plays a quasi -modern Lear, drawing us all in to his kingdom of gangster Liverpool and his three daughters. 'My Kingdom' is wonderfully realistic , helped by the superb acting of the fine cast, and the intuitive, dynamic direction of Don Boyd. There is also a feeling that you're entering another unknown world, as with Orpheus and his underworld. It's a brilliantly captivating 2 hours well worth spent at the movies. Don't miss the US previews of this must-see movie, at the Newport Film Festival, Rhode Island, June 6th and 8th.

• Its like the Godfather---but English

  grafspee22005-07-11

  If you have seen the Godfather (1-3) in one sitting and you don't realize that Mario Puzo only wrote the first as his novel of the same name--this movie is a breath of fresh air that incorporates the tragic elements better as an adaptation of Shakespeare's King Lear. Richard Harris, in one of his last films, plays an aging patriarch of a Liverpool crime family (think Genovese, Soprano, Corleone) that has outlived his welcome suffice to say. His character is brilliantly played if not autobiographical in some regards. His 'loving' family is feuding among its own ranks--bent on claiming the throne of their dying father--trying to kill him for lack of a proper euphemism (off). Excellent acting, fluid story (occasional wanders) with a strong script and probably great direction. My Kingdom is highly enjoyable if you are willing to suspend some disbelief in regards to the serendipitous plot, lack of humour, underdeveloped characters and a story that you've most likely seen before. It was missing Joe Pesci stabbing someone with a pen or borrowing his mother's kitchen knife, maybe needed Ray Liotta, Robert DeNiro, Michael Caine, Roy Scheider, but this is a film about the Mersey.