Films willing to drop the audience straight in to their world with the engine running, in the faith that you’ll orient yourself to their atmosphere and language without gratuitous hand holding, are an increasingly rare thing. This is one of the many strengths of writer-director Andrew Patterson’s second feature film, The Rivals of Amziah King. Patterson made his debut with 2019’s The Vast of Night, a thrifty period sci-fi piece that only saw a limited theatrical release but which was clearly well received enough to finance this heftier follow-up and bring onboard a number of bonafide stars, most notably Matthew McConaughey, who has barely been seen on screen since 2019. The gap between outings isn’t quite as long as it seems on first glance for either Patterson or McConaughey, however – Amziah King was shot in 2023 during the writers’ strike with special union dispensation.

The specific drop-in point is the outdoor dining area of a rural Oklahoma fast food restaurant, where we meet Amziah (McConaughey) and his accompanying ensemble of folk country musicians. Before we’ve learned anything else about them we know their food orders, and that their group dynamic involves playing together in public without prompting, or even much of an audience. Sadly they don’t get long to enjoy their meal before the cops show up asking speak to Amziah.

The vibe of the group’s introduction lends itself to a “merry band of outlaws” reading, and the presumption that Amziah is to be arrested, but these expectations are promptly subverted via the reveal that his expertise is sought in the investigation of a recent theft of a large volume of honey. Amziah is not just a musician but also a commercial beekeeper and honey man, and in the kinetically shot and staged scene that follows, McConaughey does an impressively compelling job of selling us on his love for his business and the close relationships he relies on with his friends and employees to keep it running.

A jump scare during the same scene (that shouldn’t be ruined here) jolts the film into an entirely different mode. It’s an exhilarating moment to share with an audience, and the first sign of the meld of genres and influences to follow. Early Coen Brothers, heist films, southern noir and 00’s era indie dramedies are all necessary but not sufficient ingredients to the film’s unusual recipe, and it’s a mix which succeeds without feeling tonally uneven or too derivative of any of its inspirations.

The noticeable melancholy underneath McConaughey’s performance is at least partially illuminated when by chance he runs into Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) at a diner out of town. We learn that Kateri, now a young adult, and her brother were once in Amziah’s foster care, a placement that ended when his wife passed away, presumably from illness though it’s not over explained . There’s both a clear mutual affection and a cautiousness to their reunion, which is only overcome by a compulsion or sense of duty on Amziah’s part not to let the opportunity slip away to add a postscript to their abrupt separation. Kateri is re-introduced to the band, meets his Brazilian neighbours and, crucially, is acquainted with the honey game.

Kateri coming aboard the beekeeping caper gives rise to two of the film’s absolute highpoints: an astonishing shot (apparently real) of McConaughey’s arm being gradually enveloped by a swarm until he is wearing a gauntlet of bees, and a set piece where they’re called out to a local school to remove an infestation in the roof. Do you call commercial beekeepers for that? Kateri’s training as offsider also sets in motion the film’s primary plot, a battle for the sovereignty of the bee business amongst cutthroat southern business practices and criminal undercurrents.

Two of the film’s greatest strengths are also arguably at times its weakest points. LookingGlass, a Native American actor in her first-ever film role, is undeniable. Much of her history and motivation is conveyed wordlessly through facial expression. Unfortunately the way Patterson utilises this is both a blessing and a curse – the biggest tonal misstep of the film is a series of shots of Kateri staring up in wide-eyed wonder at the older white men around her in a way that plays awkwardly and doesn’t assist what is otherwise a well-constructed character. How much you enjoy the musical performances scattered across the runtime will also depend partly on your tolerance for modern stomp-clappish bluegrass, and it works the least when most conspicuously not emanating live from the musicians onscreen. But there are a few standout numbers that justify the device and add texture in between the diagonal shifts of the narrative.

These are relatively minor imperfections. The cast are excellent, especially Scott Shepherd as the charmingly indecipherable Chimmy, Kurt Russell used with careful efficiency as the elusive backwoods baron, and Cole Sprouse doling out local crime intel while on break from his minimum wage job. It’s ultimately a rewardingly unique cinematic approach, out of step with anything you’ll see this year. It’s a great thing that it’s now getting wide distribution.

 

The Rivals of Amziah King opens today in Australian cinemas.