McConaughey Returns in 'Rivals of Amziah King' Review
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- Matthew McConaughey stars as Amziah King, a mandolin-playing Oklahoma beekeeper, in his first screen role in six years; the review notes his mythic presence looms over the film despite appearing in less than half of it.
- Andrew Patterson directs and writes the film, his follow-up to the 2019 Slamdance winner 'The Vast of Night,' cross-pollinating bluegrass musical, beekeeping drama, Native American Western, and a Mark Twain-style river journey.
- Newcomer Angelina LookingGlass plays Kateri, a Choctaw former foster child who returns to help run Amziah's bee farm and takes over the narrative in the second half when McConaughey's character largely disappears.
- Black Bear releases the film theatrically starting Friday, August 14, after it premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film & TV Festival; the review was originally published during that festival.
- Supporting cast includes Owen Teague in a wordless performance as a band member, Tony Revolori as a propane company worker, Rob Morgan as a local cop, Cole Sprouse as informant Oat, Jake Horowitz as a paroled criminal, and Kurt Russell as corrupt mogul Dob McCoy.
- The review criticizes the film as overdirected with choppy music-video-style editing, abrupt tonal shifts, and violence that 'feels antithetical to the character,' while praising Patterson's Oklahoma landscapes, tenderness toward the Choctaw Nation, and ambitious set pieces.
Why it matters: McConaughey's six-year absence from screens makes this his first film role since 2019, a comeback of note for a former Oscar winner. For Patterson, this is the major follow-up to a Slamdance-winning debut, and Black Bear's August theatrical rollout positions the film as an awards-season-adjacent indie bet on a genre-defying Oklahoma Western musical.
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