May. 10, 2016|United Kingdom | France | Belgium | United States|102 Min.|R
Genre: Thriller
Description: Jacob King, living in Cape Town, receives a distressing message from his estranged sister Bianca, who resides in Los Angeles with her husband and stepson. She informs him that she is in trouble and possesses something valuable that others desire. Determined to find her, Jacob travels to Los Angeles with a return ticket set for seven days later and seeks affordable accommodation. Upon arriving at Bianca’s address, he encounters a neighbor who had been entrusted with some of his sister’s belongings shortly before she vanished. The neighbor also reveals that Bianca’s husband had disappeared earlier, leaving their son in her care.
Jacob meets Bianca’s landlady, who mentions that a local businessman, Zico, suddenly paid her rent before she left. She adds that Bianca had been in poor condition, appearing beaten and disheveled. Jacob confronts Zico and his associates, but they deny any knowledge of Bianca. A shopkeeper advises Jacob to check the morgue, where he tragically discovers his sister’s mutilated and tortured body. Among her belongings, Jacob finds photographs of Bianca with various men, including Zico, a dentist’s business card, and a pack of cigarettes. Enraged, Jacob severely injures Zico and steals his phone, sending a chilling message to Zico’s superior, Duke, stating it’s “a message from the King.”
At a party hosted by Bianca’s neighbor, Trish, Jacob learns that his sister was involved with a gang and a drug dealer named Frankie. Jacob lures Frankie to the party, interrogates him for information, and takes his phone. Later, at his motel, Jacob encounters a prostitute, who allows him to use her car in exchange for not calling the police. Jacob visits the dentist, Dr. Wentworth, under the pretense of being referred by Bianca. Wentworth reveals that Bianca was being exploited to pay off her husband’s debts and often went missing. It’s later revealed that Bianca had connections to a politician, Frank Leary, who arranges for hitmen to eliminate the problem.
Cast director: Fabrice Du Welz
Cast actor: Chadwick Boseman, Luke Evans, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Natalie Martinez, Chris Mulkey, Drew Powell, Jonno Roberts, Dale Dickey, Jake Weary
Original name: Message from the King