ekeby I went into this expecting something really good from the high Netflix rating. What a disappointment. This might be a realistic-looking slice of life, but we don't experience much that is truly original or valuable. It's kid-on-kid violence (emotional and physical) and not much more. Life can be brutal but I don't particularly want to watch it, unless, of course, it's great art. The Japanese masterpiece The Human Condition (Ningen el Joken) is a trilogy of films that depicts the worst aspects of human brutality, but you can take it because you are also aware that you're experiencing something profound. With King Jack I watched a kid get bullied and then finally learn to "take it like a man." It's trite and frankly a little disgusting.The film wants to impart a message of some kind. I think the scene at the very end is supposed to be seen as a happy ending. We're to believe Jack has evolved emotionally and overcome--or started to overcome--unbelievable obstacles in his life. It feels flimsy and tacked on and I didn't buy it.I understand why many people liked this film. It has a seductive quality, the actors are good, and the action looks real. And it's pitched as an art movie. But it isn't a good one. If you were sucker punched into liking this movie, I can only suggest you expand your cinematic horizons to find out how much you've been missing.

Peter Pluymers "You know why people call me Scab? Tom started it. When I was little. My dad had this nickname for me. He used to call me King Jack. Tom didn't like it.""King Jack" isn't exactly a happy movie. It's rather depressing. And at the same time you'll witness in this social drama how unwritten laws are maintained between raging young people who are living in slums and at the same time are eager to kick each others butt. For those who have been a victim of bullying and experienced an embarrassing moment (posting a not so kosher photo on social media for example) will certainly sympathize with Jack's (Charlie Plummer) situation. An unhinged teenager who undergoes daily harassment's of an older boy named Shane (Danny Flaherty). Shane himself once was the same kind of misfit who suffered from the harassment of Jack's brother Tom (Christian Madsen). So, you could say it's sort of a delayed revenge.The film is a snapshot in Jack's life. The film covers just a single day and shows in this short period of time how Jack's seemingly meaningless existence is turned upside down. And this because of the arrival of Jack's nephew Ben (Cory Nichols). An introvert, chubby kid whose father dumped him there, because apparently an accident happened to his mother (probably in a mental way when you take Jack's remark "Sorry your mum went crazy" into account). The attitude of Ben towards Jack is correspondingly. The result is passive behavior between the two estranged relatives and Ben clearly showing that he isn't so pleased with the whole situation. However, as the two hang out more, the hostile atmosphere (with Jack clarifying his strict rules and making it clear that Ben should simply shut up the whole time) makes room for a cautious but pleasant boyish friendship. Two teenagers who are talking about their favorite superhero and who are playing baseball. A friendly atmosphere which is eventually disturbed by a confrontation with Shane. And ultimately this leads to an extremely violent denouement."King Jack" is a typical coming-of-age film mixed with a tale about the growing-pains of teenagers in an aggressive and poor neighborhood. Expect some timid attempts from Jack trying to deal with peers of the opposite sex. But especially Shane's blatant bullying and Jack's rebellious answer to that (including painting a dirty word on the garage at Shane's home) is the central topic in this film. It doesn't really have an impressive plot but it's supported by a strong and capable cast. On the one hand Plummer as Jack who's both selfish and combative at the same time. And he does that brilliantly. A superb achievement with Plummer applying both toughness and vulnerability perfectly. But especially Flaherty impressed me. From the first moment he came in the picture, a feeling of dislike for this individual arose inside me. Shane is a first class asshole and a sadistic coward. He's really such a creep I would love to kick in the crotch with a heavy boot. And the moment he's defeated by someone of the same caliber, and he's begging like a scared, pathetic loser, I couldn't avoid to gloat. "King Jack" is a dark and touching melodrama. Worth a look anyway.More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

Darian A. Caplinger Jack has had a hard life. He lost a father who adored him (offscreen), and finds himself the victim of a bully who himself used to be the whipping boy of Jack's older brother Tom. Jack's mother has a sister with of psychiatric problems, and it's inferred she attempted to commit suicide, and the husband of the sister calls to see if Jack's family can care for Jack's 12 year-old cousin, Ben.At first, Jack is pretty cold towards Ben, but they soon warm to each other and even manage to have a little fun before the bully interferes. What comes after is a pretty decent flick with an ending that will leave a smile on your face.

Samuel Rossi 36 minutes in and King Jack is one of those movies that encapsulates youth so well that you feel like you just entered a time machine. It's so much more real and stressful than I actually remember it, but it's true. It's a movie that I hope never ends. It's this transporting nature of cinema that makes me obsessed. Movie magic isn't making the old look young or explosions with cgi robots, it's the way a movie can make you remember and forget at the same time. A gateway to what is real and universal about the human experience.After the film finished I couldn't help but thinking that the acting, cinematography, the editing, pacing, and music were all in perfect harmony. The movie guides you through itself with such ease you forget you're being lead. So often films like this romanticize the aimlessness and chaos of youth. But everything was in it's place. A history of violence shown without exposition. You learn the characters not just by how they act or how they are talked about but how you can see the reverberations of their actions in the film's world.I eagerly await the next project of those who were involved with this film's creation.