100%
9 Reviews
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57%
50+ Ratings
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Audience Member
I don't really know what to say about this monologue film, it was just outstanding. I actually would never expect to be so caught up by a monologue of almost an hour but it just blew my mind how powerful this experience was. The incredible amount of emotion in the speaker's performance is so overwhelming that for some moments it feels like you are witnessing the scene he is describing taking place in front of you (I even feel that a traditional movie format would not be capable of having this impact). It is able to create a thriller vibe out of the story, the diffent voice pitches and the sound effects add up to set the environment and even the sweat drops falling through the actor's face make you more tense and involved. The description of Rodney King's thoughts are excruciatingly real, making you feel almost claustrophobic with everything that was happening around him. The repetitions of words, expressions and names not only are great to set the flow and rhythm of the monologue but also raise a feeling that this is happening over and over, that this story is not just this story, that it did not happened only once.
The story he is telling is brutal, even more so for those that did not know it as I didn't. Watching it 18 years after the Rodney King event happened and realizing how we seem to be at the exact same situation right now just brings a feeling of failure and blame.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/07/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Not really what I was expecting (wasn't a documentary, but a one man show). Surprisingly, the man and his slam poetry type performance managed to keep my attention for most of the show. Some heavy moments/topics,and well delivered.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
02/24/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Lets begin with, Im no poet, I dont like poetry. the movie is horrible, sounds more like the rantings of a lunatic. why did they even bother making a film, they probably thought by having something to look at, the dialog with me more tolerable? NOPE, NOT for me
Rated 0.5/5 Stars •
Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
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Rodney King: Trailer 1
Rodney King: Trailer 1
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Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix
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Jason Bailey
Flavorwire
'Rodney King' is a powerful piece of work, putting us in his head during that still-shocking beating, Smith counting off the baton hits in a manner that returns this historical event into the realm of the visceral and personal.
May 6, 2017
Full Review
Sheri Linden
Hollywood Reporter
Smith's powerfully crafted performance does nothing less than restore the humanity to a man who has, over a quarter-century, been reduced to a talking point and a symbol.
May 4, 2017
Full Review
Matt Zoller Seitz
RogerEbert.com
It's worth seeing because of its engrossing story, which is filled with odd details you probably haven't heard before ... and for the skill with which the story has been told.
Rated: 3.5/4
Apr 30, 2017
Full Review
Kahron Spearman
The Daily Dot
Lee is restrained and meditative as a director, save a few Lee-isms with camera effects... Lee makes sure that the story of where we were in 1992, and where we still are in many respects, is what we get.
May 3, 2017
Full Review
Barbara Shulgasser
Common Sense Media
Racism and police brutality described in moving monologue.
Rated: 4/5
May 2, 2017
Full Review
April Wolfe
L.A. Weekly
With the fierce words of a practiced poet, Smith is able to weave pertinent and seemingly inconsequential details into a poignant, heartbreaking and sometimes even funny story of a man whose life was practically erased.
Apr 25, 2017
Full Review
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