Last March, Netflix announced it among its flagship projects of the year: “The King of Shadows” was presented as a “complex family drama regarding resilience” and the platform specified that the idea of this feature film with Kaaris had been proposed by the 43-year-old rapper himself, when he had shot in “Bronx”, Olivier Marchal’s thriller.
We did not know more, except that this story was inspired by a Malian legend and took place today, in the suburbs of Paris. A year later, “Le Roi des ombres”, put online this Friday, March 17 and directed by Marc Fouchard (who signed “Break” and “Hors du Monde”), includes all the codes of the testosterone suburban film.
This creation features two brothers, Adama, 25, who lost his sight in an accident when he was regarding ten years old, and Ibrahim, the eldest, who has become a drug trafficker and city boss. These two do not have the same mother, but they grew up together and share the love of their little sister Aïssata. When their father dies, Adama opposes Ibrahim to protect his mother and his best friend. Ibrahim will then attack him and start a fratricidal war… But, carried by the mantra “Embrace your weakness, try to make it a strength”, Adama will stand up to him… Until collaborating with the rival of his brother.
In this effective thriller – spiced up with a little witchcraft – we witness an escalation of violence, with beatings, death threats and kidnappings in a cellar. Faced with the young Alassane Diop, who embodies Adama and whom we saw in “Tirailleurs” (he plays the son of the character played by Omar Sy, his uncle in life), Kaaris imposes his monolithic, charismatic and creepy game.
The one who was sentenced in October 2018 to an eighteen-month suspended prison sentence for “willful violence” and “meeting theft” following a brawl which had opposed him to Booba and who will be judged next November for “violence on a spouse” adds to his acting CV a fifth virile action film (following “Robbers”, “Overdrive”, “Lukas” and “Bronx”)… A feature film without surprise, but gripping.
« The Shadow King », French drama by Marc Fouchard. With Kaaris, Alassane Diong, Carl Malapa… 1h29.
