Life of a King Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		3.0

Life of a King Blu-ray Movie Review

A kingly film.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 17, 2014

Envision the endgame.

Life of a King equates chess with life, and it makes for a thoughtful comparison. It's not just a game of strategy, vision, and smarts but also a game of patience, courage, and a little bit of faith. It's a game that requires sacrifices, a game that demands its players see many moves ahead, planning and preparing, not simply reacting. Success demands dedication and perseverance but also a touch of innate skill. Based on the true story of an ex-convict-turned-inner-city-chess-mentor, Life of a King admittedly goes through the "troubled youths reformed" angle and hits every cliché in the book, but it's nevertheless a well-done and powerfully crafted message not on the grand old game of chess but rather life skills and one man's determination to make a difference, to slow things down, to unearth real potential, to find life's victory in the shadow of its looming defeat.

A grandmaster mentor.

Eugene (Cuba Gooding, Jr.) has spent the better part of his last two decades in prison. On the inside, he's matured as a man, drifted away from the days that landed him in prison, and embraced a more positive attitude. His turnaround can be attributed, in large part, to his large friend, Searcy (Dennis Haysbert), a chess player who has taught Eugene to play and love the game. When Eugene is released, he finds employment as a high school custodian. When a rowdy dentition class is left unsupervised, Eugene is asked to babysit the attendees. When the school's principal (Lisa Gay Hamilton) returns to find he's settled the students, he's given another opportunity to oversee them. He slowly gains their trust and begins to open their world to the game of chess. He soon discovers a chess prodigy in the class. Tahime (Malcolm M. Mays) is naturally skilled but lacks the patience and discipline to play. As Eugene slowly reaches the students, he purchases a foreclosed house and turns it into an after school chess club where the students learn the value of hard work and togetherness but also come to understand the finer points of life through chess.

Essentially, Life of a King is a story about redemption, growth, and making a difference. It's transitionally beautiful, watching the characters grow almost from shot-to-shot and certainly from scene-to-scene and sequence-to-sequence. Its classic narrative that follows one person's unflinching desire to make a difference in the lives of on-the-edge youths reflects the same core and cadence from classics like Lean on Me, Stand and Deliver, and Dangerous Minds. But there's something even more fundamentally satisfying here beyond the basic transformations. There's a growth reflected on both parties, from the students and the unlikely source of their inspiration. Cuba Gooding, Jr.'s character plays a truly reformed man on the inside and the outside, a man who has been where his students are and may be headed, who has been blessed with the guidance of an honest, loving mentor, who in turn chooses to use his newfound understanding of the world not for his own gain but for that of others, which in turn sees his life turn around for the better.

While there's no denying that the film closely adheres to basic genre elements and principles -- the ups and downs that bring the chess program from off-the-cuff effort to settle the class to its ebbs and flows of success and failure, personal upheaval, character molding, tragedy, triumph, life purpose discovery, attitude adjustments, escape from bad into good, exercises for the mind, saving the body, and freeing the soul -- the film succeeds because it's touching, honest, and heartfelt. It exudes a humanity and a positive spirit that's seen, felt, and understood even at the height of cliché. It will leave its audience satisfied and inspired, hopeful for the present and less fearful of the future. It's one of the most uplifting films to come around in some time and a perfect example of how both life and film can still inspire even through the dark clouds hanging over a decaying world.

The film additionally benefits from several strong leading performances. Cuba Gooding, Jr., who outside of his recent good work in The Butler seemed nearly entrenched in the low-end DTV Action movie business, proves in Life of a King that there's still more quality work in him. His portrayal is straight and honest, demonstrating a good working knowledge of both chess and mentorship and finding a relatable and heartfelt integrity and legitimacy in the portrayal. He's flanked by several above-average efforts. Malcolm M. Mays is hugely impressive as chess prodigy Tahime; Mays demonstrates an understanding of the character's outward journey and inner arc and beautifully captures his gradual acceptance of his gift, confidence in his ability, and willingness to compete for himself, for his friends, and for his mentor. Lisa Gay Hamilton shines as the school's principal and delivers a beautiful scene in which she expresses her appreciation for Eugene's work and dedication to the kids. Lastly, Kevin Hendricks is excellent as one of the film's most pivotal characters, Peanut.

Life of a King Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Life of a King's Blu-ray transfer proves satisfactory. There's nothing special here, and if anything it comes across as just a little muted. Colors are rarely vibrant, instead favoring a slightly cold, dull flavoring, evident even in some scenes with brighter backdrops and lighting. Detail can be punchy and exacting but at the same time rather nondescript. Facial and clothing textures are oftentimes precise in close-up shots, but there's also a slight flatness to the image. Black levels go a bit pale in places, though flesh tones appear natural and even. The image suffers from no major bouts of banding, though it does creep in on a few occasions. Overall, this is a good transfer, not particularly problematic but not flashy or memorable in any way, either.

Life of a King Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Life of a King features a somewhat meager, but generally effective, Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Music is far from dynamic but does rate as at least serviceable. Clarity and spacing are fine but lack that punch and realism found on the best tracks. Ambient sound effects are nicely integrated into the track, whether background din at a high school or applause late in the film. Surrounds are not used generously, but neither are they used sparingly in bringing these elements to life. A single gunshot rings out with good authority and stage presence midway through the film. Dialogue plays evenly and clearly from the center channel.

Life of a King Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Unfortunately, Life of a King contains no film-related bonus content; only an assortment of Millennium Entertainment trailers are included.

Life of a King Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Life of a King is a tremendous film and easily one of the best under-the-radar pictures of 2013. There's no doubt it's awash in genre cliché, but that doesn't at all lessen the story's feel-good, inspirational impact. It's very well acted, evenly directed, and a film that's well worth a watch for its uplifting and hopeful story. Millennium Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Life of a King features solid video and audio. Unfortunately, no extras are included. Nevertheless, this release comes highly recommended.