The Journey of August King

Patric underplays August in a way that limits the emotional payoffs but which seems absolutely in keeping with the character's lifestyle, education and predicament. And now, with John Duigan's smart and finely detailed adaptation of John Ehle's 1971 novel "The Journey of August King," and a pair of terrific performances from Jason Patric and Thandie Newton, the short list expands to include North Carolina settler August King and slave girl Annalees. ... Full Review

The Journey of August King" suggests a hint of sexual tension between August and Annalees, but titillation and carnal frenzy would cheapen the film's loftier aspirations.....Not that this small-scale, period tale of a widowed farmer sheltering a runaway slave isn't a worthy picture.....Played by Thandie Newton, the precocious teenager in Duigan's fine earlier film, "Flirting," Annalees is smart, resourceful and tough..... ... Full Review

August King (Jason Patric), a simple, reliable man, is making his way back home from market when he startles a frightened girl trying to hide herself in a cold mountain stream. "The Journey of August King" is a steady but steep ascent from the slave-tended bottom lands of North Carolina's river valleys to the moral high ground of her Blue Ridge Mountains. ... Full Review

Overall, the film looks handsome enough. It's not just the lumbering pace that makes this film a test of patience: An overly reverential tone predominates. Patric was convincing in his period outing in Walter Hill's ``Geronimo,'' ... Full Review

Featuring strong acting, realistic set and costume design, an intelligent script, solid directing, and evocative cinematography, every facet of this movie is impressive.....The Journey of August King is as close to a flawless motion picture as is likely to be produced by the film industry (independent or mainstream).....Working with his best script yet, Duigan displays his mastery of tone and pacing.....This film boasts one of the best-researched and most discerning scripts of its kind to come along in a wh ... Full Review

U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films The Journey of August King is as close to a flawless motion picture as is likely to be produced by the film industry (independent or mainstream). ... Full Article

Now, nothin' could be finer than to be in Carolina... unless'n your a slave on the run from your big plantation-owner boss in 1815. Such is the situation that Annalees (Thandie Newton) finds herself in, and when she runs into... ... Full Article

August King is a young, white, widowed farmer who lives alone in the mountains of North Carolina in the early decades of the 19th century. ... Full Article