It’s nice to see actor James Badge Dale back on screen. After getting his start in 1990’s “Lord of the Flies, Dale would go on to work with Martin Scorsese in “The Departed”, play a key part in Steve McQueen’s “Shame”, star alongside Brad Pitt in “World War Z”, and lead Michael Bay’s Benghazi retelling “13 Hours”. He has always shown a wealth of talent, mostly in supporting roles. But then five or so years ago, he seemed to vanish.
Dale returned earlier this month with a sinister supporting role in the terrific “Violent Ends”. Now he gets an even meatier lead part in his latest film, “King Ivory”, a drug war crime thriller written and directed by John Swab. While Dale gets top billing, the movie relies on a larger ensemble to cover its rather bloated plot. And it’s those plot issues, along with some creative choices and a handful of spotty supporting performances, that hold the movie back.
“King Ivory” follows as many as five different storylines while introducing a host of different characters along the way. Of course the various paths eventually intersect to some degree or another and not always in the most worthwhile way. It ends up being a lot for Swab to manage. Hardened cops clash with violent cartel members over drug smuggling and human trafficking. Indigenous mobsters use Irish gangsters to keep the cartels in check. Fentanyl addicts ensure the money keeps flowing in. There’s a lot going on in Swab’s dark and violent world.
The majority of the movie is set in Swab’s hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Dale plays Layne West, a police officer leading the local Special Investigations Division. The SID is a tectical unit who specializes in narcotics, gang violence, and organized crime. Layne and his team have their hands full due to the inflow of fentanyl into the city. It has led to an overwhelming rash of overdoses, addictions, and (of course) crime.
Meanwhile around Sinaloa, Mexico, a drug runner and human trafficker named Ramón Garza (Michael Mando) dangles the American Dream like a carrot in front of desperate locals. Those who pay his steep price will get smuggled across the border into the United States. Among his latest cargo is a bright teen named Lago (David Barcena). But during their journey, a terrible mishap leads to the deaths of 43 migrants with only Lago surviving. Ramón takes the boy to Tulsa and soon has him making deliveries to neighborhood addicts.
Elsewhere we learn that there’s a drug war in Tulsa with the biggest player being the Indian Brotherhood. It’s ruthless boss, Holt Lightfeather (the late Graham Greene) runs the operation from inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary where he’s serving a life sentence. He recruits George “Smiley” Greene (Ben Foster), a freshly released sociopathic killer to help wrangle in the cartels. Smiley carries out his orders with the help of his quietly terrifying mother Ginger (Melissa Leo) and his Irish ruffian uncle Mickey (Ritchie Coster).
And if that wasn’t enough story, we also get another thread involving Layne’s obstinate son Jack (Jasper Jones) who gets introduced to fentanyl by his junkie girlfriend Colby (Kaylee Curry). These should be the most sobering and eye-opening parts of the movie. But the kids and their relationships are fairly shallow and underdeveloped. And unfortunately their scenes are plagued by shaky acting which can be hard to look past. Thankfully their storyline does get better as it progresses.
Technically, “King Ivory” is a mixed bag. In an effort to add grit and intensity, Swab too often relies on aggressive closeups and unsteady handheld cameras. So much so that by the second half I was noticing every single use. On the flipside, the action-driven police raids are electric with DP Will Stone putting us in tight quarters with the officers as they clear out drug dens in the city. There is a real ‘you are there’ quality to these sequences.
Swab’s own personal experiences add even more to the film’s authenticity. He offers us a gloss-free look at the underside of Tulsa. Even more, Swab puts a ton of effort into presenting the uncompromising truth about our country’s current fentanyl epidemic. He tells a bleak, no-nonsense story that sometimes slouches towards cliché. But it remains serious-minded, and Swab’s willingness to mine from what he knows has a powerful impact that can be felt despite the movie’s shortcomings.
VERDICT – 2.5 STARS
Keith & the Movies 