Matthew McConaughey leads a genre-bending honey saga that falls flat

“The Rivals of Amziah King” introduces Matthew McConaughey as a Southern-charmed beekeeper whose world of honey trade spirals into rivalry, sabotage and a gruesome accident. The plot jumps from a banjo-playing quartet in an Oklahoma diner to a police investigation of abandoned honey barrels, then to a graphic industrial mishap, attempting to blend crime, revenge and musical celebration. Director Andrew Patterson, also a co-writer, layers the film with rapid cuts, flashbacks and documentary-style bee close-ups, while music supervisor Winslow Bright fills scenes with booming choirs and banjo strings.

Guest stars Kurt Russell and Owen Teague provide brief bursts of intensity, but the movie’s tone shifts feel jarring, and much of the scenery was actually shot in Alabama, undermining its claimed Oklahoma authenticity. Released by Black Bear, the R-rated feature runs 130 minutes and received a two-star rating out of four.