By John Corrado
Director Andrew Patterson’s The Rivals of Amziah King, the long awaited follow up to his 2019 breakout film The Vast of Night, is finally arriving in theatres after premiering at SXSW in 2025, nearly a year-and-a-half ago.
This delay isn’t because the movie isn’t good (because it is good), but likely due to the fact that it’s such a hard film to sell. Patterson’s film is about four movies in one, and could perhaps best be described as a hangout movie about musical beekeepers by way of a dark Southern crime drama. And it’s a totally unique experience to watch unfold.
The titular Amziah King (played by Matthew McConaughey) is a beekeeper by trade in rural Oklahoma, with a thriving honey business and a penchant for bluegrass music, travelling around with his crew of amateur musicians. We first meet them in the parking lot of a chicken shop, delivering a riveting musical performance while waiting for their orders.
Patterson’s cinematic style is evident right from the jump with this vibrant opening sequence, complete with freeze frames. The first stretch of the film feels somewhat aimless, but in a way that draws us in, bouncing around between a couple of different sequences that range from amiable to absurdly thrilling. Amziah soon reunites with Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass), a young woman whom he used to foster when she was a child as part of his sprawling found family. Then the plot not only starts to emerge but also thickens.
To say much more about The Rivals of Amziah King would be to spoil some of the experience of watching it cold. This is a film that keeps twisting and turning and shifting genres, and the fact that Patterson pulls it off in a way that makes it feel (mostly) like a cohesive whole is impressive to watch. The film remains engaging throughout the over two hour running time, as we are taken for a ride that leaves us waiting to see where it will go next.
It helps that the cinematography and editing are so stylish. One of the highlights of Patterson’s The Vast of Night was the use of steadicam long takes, and cinematographer Miguel I. Littin-Menz, who also shot that film, brings an equally smooth style to the images here. The soundtrack is another thrilling aspect of the film, with Patterson staging several wonderful bluegrass revival musical sequences (think Mumford & Sons at their peak popularity).
McConaughey is excellent in this type of role, the sort of laid-back, chill figure who maintains his composure no matter what is happening around him. He’s the perfect grounding force for a film like this that could’ve easily gone off the rails. LookingGlass also impresses in a breakout role. She is given a lot of responsibility to carry stretches of the film on her shoulders, and she rises to the occasion, with a character that becomes more complex as the film goes along.
Kurt Russell is also given a prime supporting role, with memorable bit parts for Scott Shepherd, Tony Revolori, Owen Teague and Cole Sprouse rounding out the film’s colourful cast of characters. It’s a fascinating, ambitious piece of filmmaking that is frequently compelling to watch, and worth seeing for the sheer audaciousness of everything that Patterson manages to put in the same movie. It’s certainly a memorable viewing experience, that’s for sure.
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