Rodney King

2017

Comedy / Drama

Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Certified Fresh 100% · 9 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Spilled 55% · 50 ratings
IMDb Rating 6.1/10 10 682 682

Plot summary

25 years ago, four LAPD officers were acquitted in a state court for beating King, sparking three days of rioting that left 53 people dead. Now, around the anniversary, this Spike Lee-produced one-man show (Roger Guenver Smith) will be streaming on Netflix. A complex, semi-tragic figure, King drowned in 2012. His life was rarely smooth, or simple – its telling makes for a sober, moving watch.

Director

Spike Lee Photo
Spike Lee

Top cast

Roger Guenveur Smith Photo
Roger Guenveur Smith as Rodney King
720p.WEB
485.87 MB
1280*720
English 2.0
NR
us  fr  es  cn  
23.976 fps
12 hr 52 min
Seeds 3

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by Michael_Elliott

An Incredibly Powerful Performance from Smith

Rodney King (2017) *** (out of 4)Roger Guenveur Smith's one-man show is the focus of this Netflix special, which was directed by Spike Lee.The power of this film and everything good about it certainly comes from Smith. I'm not going to sit here and say that I'm a fan of his or that I even knew too much about the man. As the film started I was caught a bit off guard as this was a stand-up routine, a very theatrical one but as the film moved along it became a lot better.Basically Smith is recounting the life and death of Rodney King and everything surrounding him. Obviously the beating he took and the start of the L.A. Riots are discussed but we get Smith reciting not only King's words but also the words of people around him. It could be a rap artist doing a song about him or it could be a media person saying something. Smith talks throughout the running time and it's rather amazing to see him be able to remember all of these lines and deliver them with such power.Those expecting a straight documentary are going to be disappointed because that's not what this is. I'm not going to say I enjoy everything about this special because I didn't but at the same time Smith deserves an A+ for his performance and effort. I really thought he did a magnificent job with delivering the lines and managing to make you think about what he was saying even though he was delivering the lines extremely fast and on point.RODNEY KING is a rather interesting and creative look at the life of a troubled man who found himself in many situations that he just didn't intend to be in.
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Reviewed by flynnflon 10 / 10

Hidden Gem

Surprised about the negative response/reviews, to this powerful performance. Roger Guenveur Smith delivers a harrowing and most passionate performance of the events surrounding the life, beating and aftermath of Rodney King.

It is raw. It is uncomfortable in it's emotion. But it's also a tour de force.

If you are interested in that era, those events, and the man himself, this is a must watch.

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