Search

The Journey Of August King

1995, Movie, PG-13, 91 mins

JOURNEY OF AUGUST KING, THE
starstarstarstar
The year: 1815. The place: mountainous rural North Carolina. Unhappy widower Jason Patric is on his way home from an arduous trip to market. Runaway slave Thandie Newton is fleeing for her life, pursued by her monstrous owner, Larry Drake (in high Charles Laughton mode). Is the hero bound to uphold the law by returning the escaped slave, or help a desperate young girl who has nowhere else to turn? This is a defiantly old-fashioned movie -- right is Right and wrong is Wrong, and characters are judged sternly. The story unfolds slowly against the sumptuously photographed scenery, and Newton and Patric deliver fine, nuanced performances. But we can't help thinking that the whole point is to present white audiences with an easy moral dilemma involving race, so they can feel better about sidestepping all the tough ones. leave a comment
Advertisement

Advertisement