Andrew Patterson doesn’t make movies that fit neatly into a single genre, and “The Rivals of Amziah King” is no exception. Patterson’s sophomore feature, opening in theaters today after premiering at SXSW last spring, folds a heist thriller, a bluegrass musical, a coming-of-age story and a revenge tale into one film centered on an Oklahoma beekeeper, a mash-up The Globe and Mail describes as boasting “enough genres to choke a kingdom.”
Matthew McConaughey stars as Amziah King, a beloved small-town beekeeper and bluegrass musician whose hive gets stolen by rivals, pulling him into a honey-theft investigation that reconnects him with Kateri, his former foster daughter, played by newcomer Angelina LookingGlass. The role marks McConaughey’s return to live-action feature acting after a five-year gap, his last big-screen turn coming in 2020’s “The Gentlemen,” a detail Deadline highlighted in its own interview with Patterson. Jake Horowitz, Scott Shepherd, Rob Morgan, Tony Revolori and Kurt Russell round out the ensemble.
For Patterson, the film caps a long, unlikely road. His first feature, “The Vast of Night,” a Twilight Zone-inflected alien-invasion story set in 1950s small-town America, was self-funded and rejected by eighteen film festivals before Slamdance picked it up in 2019, The Wrap recounts in its profile of the director. Amazon acquired it shortly after, releasing it on Prime Video during the early pandemic after theatrical plans fell through. The film’s reception opened doors most first-time filmmakers never see, including meetings with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin and Sony, and an offer from Steven Soderbergh to direct someone else’s script. Patterson passed, choosing instead to develop his own project with backing from producers David Heyman and Teddy Schwarzman.
That instinct to stay independent shows in the finished film. In Review Online’s interview with Patterson traces the project’s roots directly to his home state, noting how its amber-toned cinematography echoes both the honey-processing operation at the story’s center and the texture of small-town Oklahoma life. Despite that regional identity, much of the actual shoot took place in Alabama rather than Oklahoma, a detail SHOOTonline raised in a more skeptical review, arguing the substitution undercuts the authenticity the film otherwise leans on.
That critique was the exception rather than the rule. RogerEbert.com’s review called the film good enough to win over audiences skeptical of McConaughey’s more recent screen persona, crediting his performance for anchoring the story’s shifts in tone. AV Club’s review pointed specifically to Patterson’s visual instincts, long, unhurried tracking shots and confidently blocked ensemble scenes, as evidence of a director settling into his own style rather than repeating his debut’s tricks.
“The Rivals of Amziah King” runs 131 minutes and is rated R for language and grisly images, according to production details listed on Wikipedia. It’s distributed by Black Bear Pictures, with Heyday Films also producing, and opens today in theaters nationwide.
