Sovereign

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Sovereign

R

Released Jul 11

1h 40m

Action

Crime

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

Inspired by real events, SOVEREIGN is a tense and provocative true crime thriller about a father and his teenage son -- Jerry and Joseph Kane (Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay) -- who follow the Sovereign Citizen belief system, a deeply anti-establishment worldview rooted in distrust of government authority. As the pair travel across the country delivering self-taught legal seminars and pushing back against systems they believe have failed them, their journey brings them into conflict with Police Chief Jim Bouchart (Dennis Quaid), setting off a tragic chain of events that forces a reckoning with power, principle, and the limits of freedom.

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Critics Consensus

A nerve-jangling thriller that exposes how reactionary extremism can lead to a road of destruction, Sovereign is ruled by Nick Offerman's unforgettably unhinged performance.

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William Bibbiani

TheWrap

Some of [Nick] Offerman’s most complex and disturbing work.

Jul 13, 2025

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Variety

The movie is a real-world thriller that’s also a riveting character study that’s also a portrait of the place where the reactionary politics of today curdles into obsession.

Jul 11, 2025

Full Review

Robert Daniels

RogerEbert.com

A meeting of “Leave No Trace” and “Hell or High Water,” “Sovereign” is a thought provoking political work whose sympathetic eye is given focus by its potent cast.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 11, 2025

Full Review

Stephen Silver

Splice Today

Sovcit types often get into situations that are unintentionally hilarious, but the story told by Sovereign isn’t one.

Jul 17, 2025

Full Review

Tina Kakadelis

Beyond the Cinerama Dome

The ones on the fringes and the ones behind the police badges are both trying to mold the next generation to continue on with the ideals they believe in. We all are. Sovereign focuses on masculinity’s toxic role in parenting the next generation of men.

Jul 15, 2025

Full Review

Erik Childress

Movie Madness Podcast

Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay give two of the year’s most stellar performances in a film that frighteningly gets to the rot of how helpless anger and stoked masculinity in our country can be re-routed into violence.

Rated: 3/4

Jul 14, 2025

Full Review

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D G

Powerful. The whole cast was brilliant. Well written. Beautiful cinematography. An underrated classic. I hope it gets some kind of acknowledgement during awards season.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/25

Full Review

Jonathan D

Great film, slow burn development. Brilliant acting. heartbreaking story.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/15/25

Full Review

Ghederick Eshmont

Compelling, but the totality is below the sum of the quality actors

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/12/25

Full Review

Audience Member

A really beautiful and thought-provoking film about the meaning of family, despair in middle america, and the human psyche

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/15/25

Full Review

Stephen C

While the film is generally terrific, as is the cast, it could benefit from a little backstory. It would be good to know how Jerry & Joe got to the point where their mortgage is being foreclosed on, for instance. They must have been paying the mortgage for years and then suddenly stopped. Why? Also, a bit more of slow build up to showcase how the main character, Kerry Kane, got to the point of madness he is at in the beginning of the film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

Full Review

Jason J

For anyone who loves tense, emotional, character-driven films from the 90s and say "why don't they make movies like this anymore?" Well, they just did. And you'll love it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/17/25

Full Review

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Christian Swegal

Director

Dennis Quaid

John Bouchart

Jacob Tremblay

Joe Kane

Nick Offerman

Jerry Kane

Martha Plimpton

Lesley Ann

Nancy Travis

Patty Bouchart

Sovereign: Movie Clip - Traffic Stop

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Sovereign: Movie Clip - The Duel

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Sovereign: Teaser - Listen to Your Dad

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Synopsis

Inspired by real events, SOVEREIGN is a tense and provocative true crime thriller about a father and his teenage son -- Jerry and Joseph Kane (Nick Offerman and Jacob Tremblay) -- who follow the Sovereign Citizen belief system, a deeply anti-establishment worldview rooted in distrust of government authority. As the pair travel across the country delivering self-taught legal seminars and pushing back against systems they believe have failed them, their journey brings them into conflict with Police Chief Jim Bouchart (Dennis Quaid), setting off a tragic chain of events that forces a reckoning with power, principle, and the limits of freedom.

Director: Christian Swegal
Producer: Nick Moceri
Screenwriter: Christian Swegal
Distributor: Briarcliff Entertainment
Production Co: All Night Diner
Rating: R (Violence and Language)
Genre: Action, Crime, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jul 11, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 11, 2025
Runtime: 1h 40m

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