Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

King Ivory

Play trailer 2:26 Poster for King Ivory R Now Playing 2h 10m Crime Drama Mystery & Thriller Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
70% Tomatometer 20 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
From civilians to criminals to addicts to law enforcement, and everyone in between, all walks of life intersect in this thriller about the epidemic that is fentanyl; street name: King Ivory. It is business as usual for Tulsa drug cop, Layne West (James Badge Dale), battling the local criminal element, which hits too close to home when his son, Jack (Jasper Jones), gets hooked on fentanyl. In conjunction with his partner, Ty (George Carroll), and FBI counterpart, Beatty (Rory Cochrane), West makes it his mission in life to take down those responsible, including the Mexican cartel's local shot-caller, Ramón Garza (Michael Mando), Indian Brotherhood War Chief, Holt Lightfeather (Graham Greene), who controls state-wide trafficking while serving life inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac," and the local Irish Mob family outfit, led by George "Smiley" Greene (Ben Foster), along with his mother, Ginger (Melissa Leo), and uncle, Mickey (Ritchie Coster). As Holt educates West during a prison visit, "The cartels want your kids, the next generation, who want what is new, and fentanyl is new."
Now in Theaters Now Playing Buy Tickets

Where to Watch

King Ivory

Critics Reviews

View More (20)
Kyle Logan Chicago Reader King Ivory [is] a solid riff on Sicario and a collection of almost all the cliches of Traffic (including the anti-drug crusader with an addict child) with none of the visual flair. Rated: 3/5 Nov 23, 2025 Full Review Simon Abrams RogerEbert.com It’s flat, it’s grey, and it only satisfies if you want a sad, familiar mess to look down on. Rated: 1.5/4 Nov 14, 2025 Full Review Tim Grierson Screen International This action-thriller is too easily in thrall to its tough-guy posturing, resulting in a picture that incorrectly believes it’s delivering bitter truths. Sep 16, 2024 Full Review Sean Boelman FandomWire If more B-movies had this level of passion and craftsmanship, it would be a much more respected subgenre of filmmaking. Rated: 7/10 Nov 25, 2025 Full Review Mark Jackson Epoch Times Carrying the same reality-based gravitas as "Sicario" and "Training Day," it’s a wonder "King Ivory" is not a bigger movie. Rated: 3.5/5 Nov 22, 2025 Full Review Joel Copling Spectrum Culture The complex, ambitious stories hinted at in King Ivory eventually lose focus as John Swab’s real interest, which has to do with its simpler genre aspirations, gets in the way. Nov 17, 2025 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More (21)
MARICAROLYN S Everyone must see this Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/19/25 Full Review monica w Too long all the action was in the preview I give it a 5.5 out of ten Rated 2 out of 5 stars 11/19/25 Full Review Justin G Great movie! Very relevant to our times, especially if you have high school aged kids! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/17/25 Full Review Mr Hollywood Standard drug dealers, cops and the people in between story line. Was good enough. Spoke some facts overall that makes you think as well. Worth a watch Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/17/25 Full Review christopher b Great story. Great performances all around but especially from Ben Foster and Melissa Leo. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 11/17/25 Full Review Facebook U Strong acting portrayal and intriguing storylines carry the film but King Ivory seems to be on a train to nowhere. The sad reality of the U.S never ending struggle with drug abuse is insatiably depressing. Agent West’s visit to Lightfoot to exclaim his valor to fight the drug epidemic was quickly shot down with the notion that it’s never going to end well. “The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike” Biblically borrowed line but poignantly accurate. King Ivory has all of the making of worthy must see in theaters that ends abruptly with no resolution. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/18/25 Full Review Read all reviews
King Ivory

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW
Finestkind 28% 59% Finestkind Watchlist TRAILER for Finestkind Abraham Ozler % 48% Abraham Ozler Watchlist Nico % % Nico Watchlist Helen Razor % % Helen Razor Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis From civilians to criminals to addicts to law enforcement, and everyone in between, all walks of life intersect in this thriller about the epidemic that is fentanyl; street name: King Ivory. It is business as usual for Tulsa drug cop, Layne West (James Badge Dale), battling the local criminal element, which hits too close to home when his son, Jack (Jasper Jones), gets hooked on fentanyl. In conjunction with his partner, Ty (George Carroll), and FBI counterpart, Beatty (Rory Cochrane), West makes it his mission in life to take down those responsible, including the Mexican cartel's local shot-caller, Ramón Garza (Michael Mando), Indian Brotherhood War Chief, Holt Lightfeather (Graham Greene), who controls state-wide trafficking while serving life inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac," and the local Irish Mob family outfit, led by George "Smiley" Greene (Ben Foster), along with his mother, Ginger (Melissa Leo), and uncle, Mickey (Ritchie Coster). As Holt educates West during a prison visit, "The cartels want your kids, the next generation, who want what is new, and fentanyl is new."
Director
John Swab
Producer
Jeremy M. Rosen
Screenwriter
John Swab
Distributor
Roadside Attractions / Saban Films
Production Co
Roxwell Films
Rating
R
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 14, 2025, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA)
$153.2K
Runtime
2h 10m
Most Popular at Home Now