WATCH NOW
Kings of the Sun is recognizable by its lack of a single “white man” character. No European gentry with their coats and daggers are invading, and no one is linguistically conquering. But hold a minute, you say. What about Apocalypto (minus the conclusion)? Perhaps, but Kings of the Sun takes it to the other extreme by having not one, not two, but three different tribes of natives all fighting each other. It is the Gangs of New York of Mesoamerican inter-tribal gang warfare. But unlike Apololpyto, there is controversially no actual Native American actor on set here. And the lead is a Russian?! Something sure is afoot.
Hundreds of years ago. The Yucatan. Chichen Itza. Because the majority of people do and do not know who in the world the Mayans were, a narrator is needed. We learn that the Mayans were pretty advanced people, building roads and cities without metal, wheels, or even horses, discovering maths and astrology, and basically out-doing all the other ancients such as the Greeks or the Romans.
But, they also did some really dumb stuff too. One of these was human sacrifice. It appeared the gods of the time demanded a high pay for all those cool pyramids, sexy head-dresses, nice weather, and DVD players Blood. Unlike in Apocalypto, the sacrifice is a willing one. The selected dude to undertake the duty is essentially treated like royalty for a few days. He gets to do what he wants, gets down with who he wants, and is given a pretty snazzy feather cape to chill out in.
A sucker appears at Chichen Itza with a cape held open, looking like Shawn Michaels. He climbs the stairs to be stabbed by Ah Min the High Priest (Richard Basehart Knightrider). In Apocalypto, the lesson was not to leave your wife and child in an impossible cave when you are taken to die, whereas the Kings of the Sun is about achieving a miraculous civilization without the need to kill every tenth person. It’s not a very subtle message; this is not a David Fincher film. The idea of offering sacrifices to some unforgiving, invisible deity is interesting but Kings of the Sun tells that story with a ridiculous love-triangle plot that makes little sense but is boring and overly dramatic at the same time.
With their galactic heads on, the Yutacan tribe ends up getting bulldozed by an even more advanced native tribe with metal swords. Clearly, they should have spread their points around instead of solely relying on giant pyramids. Big Bastard Hunac Ceel (Leo Gordon Fire and Ice) proceeds with the invasion, killing everything in sight. While he’s hidden in the bowels of the hollow Chichen Itza, new king Balam (George Chakiris 633 Squadron) chooses not to lead his remaining wooden sword-wielding subjects in a desperate charge against Hunac Ceel but rather decides to sail the Great Waters in the north. Everyone gets worried and says that they will either fall off the world or be devoured by the Kraken or something, but Balam seems quite sure. His old man told him there was a myth about a bountiful and rich land on the other side, where they could regroup, discover the riddle of steel (like in Conan the Barbarian), and return triumphantly.
Using secret passageways, Balam and his people surface on the shore, close to a small seaside village. In order for his brilliant relocation scheme to be successful, he needs their fish, their ships, and even the women and children. However, the village chief isn’t having any of that and nobody budges. That old grandpa won’t give a single penny until Balam agrees to marry King’s daughter Ixchel (Shirley Ann Field House of the Living Dead). She’s a bit of a looker, but Balam can’t let it be seen how much he’s won the lottery. So, instead, he reluctantly accepts the bargain. kings of the Sun Shirley Anne Field
Along with his soldiers, Hunac Ceel arrives which compels people to leave on boats. The old village chief takes one to the back while being shot, but everyone else gets to tell the tale. After some treacherous nights on the ocean where Ah Min says they should be killing anyone, even if the child is sickly, just to get the attention of the sea Gods, they finally see land. They immediately start making a settlement and begin to construct simple buildings huts, a jail chamber, a throne room, and many others.
Not sure why they would need to do that unless they need to keep someone caged in
There was an agenda to start on Blockbuster videos next, but they’re deep in the trenches completing another colossal pyramid temple first when Ah Min raises the issue of sacrifice again. It hasn’t rained yet and he theorizes that murderizing someone will ensure a bang-on for a bumper harvest this year. But Balam isn’t sold. It didn’t help them out at the Chichen Itza, and it didn’t help them out at sea either. He has other thoughts instead. This motherfucker does not require the Gods and their fancy stones. He has a plan, which is to construct a dam at a nearby river so that they can control the flow of water towards the crops. That is science, b*tches.
While attempting to guide the aged cleric over the stream, they are suddenly ambushed by some tree-dwelling assailant. And no, it is not the Predator. Considered a nighthawk, Black Eagle (Yul Brinner The Magnificent Seven), a chieftain of an unspecified American Indian tribe, had been stalking Balam and his people for quite a time. He had been monitoring and waiting for the young king to abandon the security of his walls. He considers this the most ideal moment to cut the heads off the snake.
Balam turns out to be nowhere near as much of a pushover as Black Eagle thought, even with a wooden sword. Luckily Ah Min is able to get a few guards before the deranged tribal maniac finishes slicing him up, and the crazy native is restrained. He is taken back to the settlement where the “civilized” Southerners look with horror at this savage. And a total scumbag guard gives him a spear and he’s set for dying. But Balam supposing the role of a sympathizer, as usual, orders that he be treated. A chance arises and Ah Min starts blabbering that if this guy is a warrior chief, then he will be the ideal offering to the Gods. People somewhat agree in that, “Oh Ah Min, you are a hilarious moron,” kind of friendly fashion.
Ixchel is selected for taking care of Black Eagle. Balam and her share a rather comically juvenile relationship in the entirety of the film. When he arrives, he literally says, “I’m ready to take my wife.” But to be fair, the guy has been stuck on a busy ship for weeks. She dismisses him, stating that since her father is dead, his vow is annulled. Now that’s a classic example of a friendzone. There are several occasions in which Balam and Ixchel talk with Ah Min individually expressing their feelings towards each other but they can never say it out loud. It’s infuriating to see. It’s not like there’s anything holding them back. He is not some other kingdom’s prince with a golden betrothal nor is she too low-bred for him. This is not something that is done in Game of Thrones. This is a 1963 historical epic where humans walk in and put on papier mache helmets. As Sonny Landham would put it to Arnold Schwarzenegger, it simply doesn’t add up.
But it also leaves room for Black Eagle to make his entrance. He spends most of this film in the dark, glimmering with sweaty sexuality in a nearly nude state inside a rather large prison cell. I had not seen Yul Brynner like that before, but there was no denying that he was in tremendous shape. He is super exotic and primal, and speaks his mind which is what he wants, the opposite of Balam. His sheer magnetism is very attractive to Ixchel. But she is aware of the ultimate fate that he tries to escape from. Is she going to tell him that he is going to get sacrificed? Will his people come to save him before that happens? Will Hunac Ceel find all of them and stab them with his favorite metal swords?
Kings of the Sun begins with a pretty interesting premise. Since I’m reviewing a bunch of Native American films, it is pretty clear that I am fascinated with these types of movies and the Mayan era is rarely depicted in film. And of course, using an ancient wonder like Chichen Itza as a set piece is rather strange. But Hollywood was absurd back then.
The notion that they had to flee through the Gulf of Mexico to escape annihilation stretches what we consider normal, but Jason & the Argonauts and Master & Commander are a thing there are badass battles that take place on ships. America redefining itself can also be accepted. And this new land being personified by Yul Brynner is brilliant. So what stops this movie from being awesome? The problem of dehumanizing human sacrifice is the one absolute core element. It’s the genetic code of this film. It’s like we understand, this is really lowbrow. Please don’t partake in it. But it is never captured in overly sensationalized words. Of course, Yul Brynner is going to get executed and we don’t care to see him die because he’s Yul Brynner, and he may trigger some massive conflict. But that is, unfortunately, the wrong way to frame it. The love triangle that is supposedly put in place with him, Balam, and Ixchel is the wrong approach. The only thing this film tries to put forward is that Ixchel is going to be sad if he dies. There is just way too much to pick apart, let alone with massive wide-reaching historical war films. Kings of the Sun Yul Brynner What we have here is some very basic activity, and by that, I do not mean primitive or lacking social or cultural sophistication.
I mean that all great stories have deep motivations or forces at work troubling them. The film “127 Hours” is similar to “Apocalypto” solely based on the one instinctive need of its characters to live. Unlike all other movies, kings of the Sun starts with this setup, however, it quickly turns into an overly dramatic politically charged, and religious storyline. Think about it from this angle; you are a new and starving-for-recognition writer in Hollywood, brimming with energy and enthusiasm. If you had to pitch a move logline, which one do you think is going to draw the most attention? “A young King demonstrates that extreme religious zealotry is an insufficient substitute for peaceful co-existence with the native population” or “A young King has to save his people and the woman he loves from furious savages of an enemy tribe?”
Ultimately, Balam does elect to free Black Eagle, in spite of the developing attraction between his rival and Ixchel. But that has more to do with Balam’s belief system in the new world and less to do with Black Eagle’s actions. Until after he is freed, we’re given no sense of how Black Eagle is as a man or a leader. Look at the film Last Samurai, which is much the same. Ken Watanabe’s character takes Tom Cruise’s character captive.
During the winter they come together slowly before separating as friends. That is not the case here. Instead, we have the gifted moments, the few minutes of Yul Brynner bathed in shadows and slathered in tanning oil professing what he hopes his kids with Ixchel do lead buffalo around by their nostrils. Undoubtedly, this is old pillow talk.
That, too, is yet another major point of disagreement. The core group is made up of American/British/Russian people. Everyone speaks English and communication is never an issue. They all look tanned with dark hair, yet it remains a case of whitewashing. Leading ladies have blue eyes! The only ethnic people in the film are probably Mexican manual laborers and natives who were paid some money to come show up as extras. “You there, Jose, take off your shirt and run up that hill when I say action, ” Given that people are bitter that the actual Mohawk-descended lead actress in Mohawk isn’t 100% native, can you even think what would happen if the film was made in this day’s world? Oh, wait, it did. Have you not watched God’s of Egypt?
Dross worthless or rough material. A competitor bodybuilder is literally bred into bronze. Still, he captures the mysterious savage well. At least he does the job, not as well as an actor, but working well as one. The man was a total badass in real life and here he fills the scenes exuding unquestionable magnetism. Some claim he did not do as much in his profession as power lift and pose. He walks through this with an intense gaze as his supple body with panther grace moves around him elevating him from the much of the other dross floating about.
Even his accent, painstakingly trimmed from years spent on Broadway or in America, is unique and majestic. He is perfectly cast.
Chakiris, unfortunately, casts a few shadows. He has taken the craft of insular and restrained acting and mistaken it for looking like he is contemplating whether or not he needs to defecate. To be fair, it is not all his fault. As it was in older film eras, directors sometimes, or more accurately, often abused their power. Like when he finally reaches the breaking point of watching Black Eagle suggest to Ixchel that he would like to take her into the woods, he is huffing and puffing, with the sweat clearly flowing down his face. And when I say sweat, I mean as though someone has thrown a bucket of water over his head. How do you act after being waterboarded? They did this on Thunderbirds when they wanted characters to look as if they were under pressure or were sick. It looks good on puppets, but not on real-life actors.
The field is just as difficult to understand. We can’t know whether she truly loves Balam or Black Eagle. Perhaps she is juggling the two? In either case, she definitively looks and sounds the most ill-fitting in terms of actress. Richard Basehart has some astonishing wigs in this picture. And that is all I am going to say about him.
Where they do get it right is the scale. This film looks like an epic of the times. Certainly, a great effort is made, as the sets alone are of enormous proportions, the costumes are extensive, and the extras number in the millions. While the wearing of the “action” if you can call it that is focused on the new settlement, you are also treated to the previously mentioned scenes at Cha Chichen Itza, some sea-based boat action, and a full-scale attack on the fishing village. It is constant color and design and undoubtedly, stylized and based on period garments, the majority of the costumes look cheaply and poorly made. The headdress alone is astonishing and illustrates what blogger Captive Cavewoman puts it best. It is hard to decide whether the overwhelming variety of designs and colors pulls you deeper into the movie, or makes you want to hide from it. You decide.
The action doesn’t fare much better. The utterly silly-looking weapons and poorly crafted shields can only be described as something one would see from a low-budget LARPing parody. Only Brynner and Gordon seem to actually put some effort into their performances. The battle scenes there’s a few of those, too are passable but poorly staged on an epic scale. The film culminates in the climactic scene depicting the violent attack by Hunac Ceel’s warriors into Balan’s fortress. Their metal arms effortlessly ripped through the defenses, only for a tribe of Black Eagle to show up from behind and flank the warriors. These Natives are only armed with primitive bows and arrows, yet they somehow manage to defeat the more experienced Mayans unarmed. I’m not sure why. Somewhere in the background is a tiny Nissan Micra-sized catapult. You never see it get fired, but it sure is amusing to imagine. And it definitely wouldn’t be able to hurl even a human head with any sort of substantial force (as we all know they were used for at the time). It’s safe to say these scenes did not invoke any feeling of excitement.
A few of the interior shots are very powerful. In particular the ones with Brynner in his cell. The lighting is very powerful and almost scenic. Joseph MacDonald, the cinematographer, really gets it right. I also very much enjoyed it when Brynner is released and returns to his people and is joyfully embraced by all. Amazing. It’s not as if J Lee Thompson, the director, was unable to catch them well. His previous works Guns of the Navarone and Cape Fear are masterpieces without a doubt. Clearly, he was never comfortable with historical epics and in his defense, the script which is clearly an excuse to have Brynner wearing a loin cloth deserved to be buried.
The quote by Mirisch perfectly puts into words my frustrations with how the film was handled. “The film was not made for the right reasons, and that alone poses insurmountable challenges. Our creative team was apathetic towards the work and its monetizable potential was insufficient to change that. Given that I was dispassionate towards the project, I ought to have taken a stand. Allowing the project to passively walk through the stages, I facilitated its advancement more than it merit,” Walter Mirisch said on the movie’s creative shortcomings. They did have a lot of great performers such as Brynner, but it is easy to see how the movie was a box office bomb, best suited for the archives and lanterns of forgotten films.
Admittedly, I have to say that this film misses the mark in most aspects and does not capture the essence of a Native American movie. The Mayan peoples’ decline was rather inexplicable: the movie ‘Kings of The Sun’ would have been a nice Hollywood coda to their demise. However, it purely focuses on the need to eliminate human sacrifice. A claim made by Thompson, which I don’t understand, is that she has tried to make comparisons with corporal punishment. Here, the sacrifice victims are worshiped almost. While this is a terribly childish thing to do, it is certainly very different from punishing those who deserve to be condemned with the most extreme forms of punishment. The offering of this type of message within a love story is more foolish. This is akin to telling of the events that happen in Schindler’s List as a bleak situational comedy.
Brynner is perhaps the only saving grace in this movie. Not only does he add drama to the film, but he also puts the Native Americans higher than their Mesoamerican counterparts. And that’s how I like my natives in these movies. I like them to be badasses. And Yul Brynner is one of the most badass ass-kickers you’re likely to see.
To watch more movies like Kings of the Sun (1963) visit 123movies
Also Watch for more movies like:
