Review: One Night With The King
Venda and I just returned from seeing One Night With The King. Do yourselves a favor and give this one a big, fat miss.
We were searching for a film to watch tonight, and after deciding that our respective moods didn’t synch up for Flags of Our Fathers or The Prestige, we noticed One Night With The King, sitting waaay down at the bottom of the listing for Northwoods cinema, all alone.
Neither of us had ever heard of it, which was strange. Usually, one of us has heard at least a mention of any given film being shown in theaters.
It is a screen adaptation of the biblical story of Hadassah (Esther, Queen of Persia, wife of Xerxes). The trailer made it look like an amazing movie. It seemed to have all the makings of a great epic film and the cast even featured classic favorites such as Peter O’Toole, Omar Sharif, and John Rhys-Davies.
We were fooled.
This film could have been so much more than it was. I place the blame for its miserable failure squarely on the shoulders of its director, Michael O. Sajbel.
According to IMDB, Sajbel’s experience goes all the way back to the 1970’s, but mostly in cameraman/director of photography/photographic consultant roles. He’s directed several films, none of which I’ve seen, but I can say that if his performance behind the scenes of One Night echoes any of his other directorial works, then I don’t feel the need to see any of them.
Even the first few scenes are hard to sit through. The acting is stiff; I felt like I was watching a bad screen adaptation of a cheesy novel. In addition, the flow of the first third of the movie was as choppy and hard to follow as it could be.
Once I finally realized that I wasn’t going to get the epic film that I had been expecting, the movie got a little better. It seemed that more things gelled in the second half, and it was actually somewhat bearable, but not so much so that I didn’t feel like asking for my money back.
I do have to say that the film is shot well. It’s also obvious that there was somewhat of a significant budget available to play with. There was a lot of really nice CG and matte work, and the costuming could not have been cheap.
Sajbels’ experience as a DP shows, and the visuals are really the only reason why I didn’t walk out in the first fifteen minutes. In my opinion, Sajbel needs to stay out of the director’s chair and concentrate on keeping the loupe up to his eye instead.
Steer clear of this one.
i believe you didnt “like” this movie because you didnt look past what the MEANING of the movie is. It’s central theme lies in identity, courage, and Truth. Obviously, they couldnt have done that much more with the movie than they did because it would have ruined the point of the plot and made it innacurate. Besides, that’s not what matters. Now think about it, would you have had the courage to go before the kind unsummoned? I doubt it
No, I didn’t “like” this movie because it was a poorly-made film. The MEANING had nothing to do with that fact. Trying to stay on message is not an excuse for bad direction and adaptation.
And yes, I would indeed have enough courage to go before the “kind”. It’s obvious from your comment that you are upset because someone didn’t like the screen adaptation of what appears to be your favorite little bible story. It’s funny that you got so upset and chose to call my personal character into question because of it. Why don’t you throw a few more stones – it’s entertaining.
It sounds to me that it would do you alot of good to spend one night with the King. I promise you one thing for sure., if you did you would never be the same again. I personally enjoyed the movie and would recommend the movie for everyone to see! I guarantee that you would have never had the courage to go before the King without being summoned. I know this just by the way that you speak., because I hear no respect for the King.
Elvis is dead, ma’am. I don’t think he’s in the mood for a slumber party. And yes, I would totally go before Elvis without being summoned – that dude loved to party!
What I find interesting is how you assume my character to be lacking because I didn’t like a shitty movie. You are confusing GOD with a SHITTY MOVIE he had NOTHING to do with, which leads me to believe that your INTELLIGENCE is lacking. Grow up and move out of your parents’ basement. And get rid of all those cats.
I just saw the movie for the first time the other night and was totally mesmerized to see my favorite Bible story on screen. I think most Americans are so anesthetized by epic special effects that it is hard for most to recognize a simple story of faith and obedience. Most of modern America no longer know how to have faith or obey and think anyone who do are somehow, at the very least, laughable. I am sorry you did not enjoy this simple accurate adaptation of a wonderful, true story. Please do not heap so much scorn on those of us who did.
Okay, Joan, I didn’t start out heaping any scorn on anyone who liked the film. I merely said I *didn’t* like it, and some people decided to interpret this as meaning that I obviously needed some help with my spirituality because I didn’t like an on-screen adaptation of their favorite bible story.
Read my original post again. There was no scorn for you in it. I did not say anything to the effect of, “…and furthermore, if you liked this film, then you are a brainless twat of a person who should be repeatedly slapped about the head and shoulders. I scorn thee!”
All I did was say that it was a poorly-made movie. Period. The only person I promised to scorn was the director, who deserves it.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I *am* scorning the people who decided to reply in a huff because they and their faith felt personally insulted because I didn’t watch the film with golden blinders on my eyes, as did they. Yes, they get a piping hot spoonful of my scorn, all to themselves.
I am a huge fan of Hunter S. Thompson, but even I can admit that the film, Where The Buffalo Roam, a story about Thompson’s life, sucks as a movie, because I can separate the two.
Anyone who can’t draw a separation between God and a movie about a story appearing in a book having to do with God, in my opinion, needs some help of their own.
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