I love this movie so much

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"You know why people call me Scab? Tom started it. When I was little. My dad had this nickname for me. He used to call me King Jack. Tom didn't like it.""King Jack" isn't exactly a happy movie. It's rather depressing. And at the same time you'll witness in this social drama how unwritten laws are maintained between raging young people who are living in slums and at the same time are eager to kick each others butt. For those who have been a victim of bullying and experienced an embarrassing moment (posting a not so kosher photo on social media for example) will certainly sympathize with Jack's (Charlie Plummer) situation. An unhinged teenager who undergoes daily harassment's of an older boy named Shane (Danny Flaherty). Shane himself once was the same kind of misfit who suffered from the harassment of Jack's brother Tom (Christian Madsen). So, you could say it's sort of a delayed revenge.The film is a snapshot in Jack's life. The film covers just a single day and shows in this short period of time how Jack's seemingly meaningless existence is turned upside down. And this because of the arrival of Jack's nephew Ben (Cory Nichols). An introvert, chubby kid whose father dumped him there, because apparently an accident happened to his mother (probably in a mental way when you take Jack's remark "Sorry your mum went crazy" into account). The attitude of Ben towards Jack is correspondingly. The result is passive behavior between the two estranged relatives and Ben clearly showing that he isn't so pleased with the whole situation. However, as the two hang out more, the hostile atmosphere (with Jack clarifying his strict rules and making it clear that Ben should simply shut up the whole time) makes room for a cautious but pleasant boyish friendship. Two teenagers who are talking about their favorite superhero and who are playing baseball. A friendly atmosphere which is eventually disturbed by a confrontation with Shane. And ultimately this leads to an extremely violent denouement."King Jack" is a typical coming-of-age film mixed with a tale about the growing-pains of teenagers in an aggressive and poor neighborhood. Expect some timid attempts from Jack trying to deal with peers of the opposite sex. But especially Shane's blatant bullying and Jack's rebellious answer to that (including painting a dirty word on the garage at Shane's home) is the central topic in this film. It doesn't really have an impressive plot but it's supported by a strong and capable cast. On the one hand Plummer as Jack who's both selfish and combative at the same time. And he does that brilliantly. A superb achievement with Plummer applying both toughness and vulnerability perfectly. But especially Flaherty impressed me. From the first moment he came in the picture, a feeling of dislike for this individual arose inside me. Shane is a first class asshole and a sadistic coward. He's really such a creep I would love to kick in the crotch with a heavy boot. And the moment he's defeated by someone of the same caliber, and he's begging like a scared, pathetic loser, I couldn't avoid to gloat. "King Jack" is a dark and touching melodrama. Worth a look anyway.More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT

A simple movie with a simple story, the reason why it works so incredibly well is the film understands what it is and uses it to the best it can be, and that is very good. The film is lead by an outstanding (and I mean outstanding) by Charlie Plummer who plays the title role Jack. The other actors Cory Nichols, Christian Madsen and Danny Flaherty are also very compelling in their roles. Written and directed very well by Felix Thompson, it explores the brutal ways of a young boy going through bullying, family troubles and having to deal with discovering who he is also with trying to take care of his younger. A surprisingly gritty movie that shows the real trouble that neglect and misunderstanding can do to young people and it captured wonderfully by Thompson and Plummer. The movie also shows that kids can be really cruel and their are a view scenes that are very sad and painful to watch that hit you right in the heart. A truly amazing film and definitely a gem of an indie film.

36 minutes in and King Jack is one of those movies that encapsulates youth so well that you feel like you just entered a time machine. It's so much more real and stressful than I actually remember it, but it's true. It's a movie that I hope never ends. It's this transporting nature of cinema that makes me obsessed. Movie magic isn't making the old look young or explosions with cgi robots, it's the way a movie can make you remember and forget at the same time. A gateway to what is real and universal about the human experience.After the film finished I couldn't help but thinking that the acting, cinematography, the editing, pacing, and music were all in perfect harmony. The movie guides you through itself with such ease you forget you're being lead. So often films like this romanticize the aimlessness and chaos of youth. But everything was in it's place. A history of violence shown without exposition. You learn the characters not just by how they act or how they are talked about but how you can see the reverberations of their actions in the film's world.I eagerly await the next project of those who were involved with this film's creation.

This film has nothing whatsoever to say about bullying, kidnapping, assault and battery committed against boys. It also has nothing to say about boys being shamed and mocked for their penis size, called homophobic slurs, being hit by their parents and older siblings, or the real traumatic, life-long consequences these events leave on the human psyche. It merely shows these things happening without consequences, while smirking in the process.An opportunity to revel in white trash abusive parenting and the outdated "honor code" where if you are physically assaulted, it's wrongly implied that it's your fault because you were "weak" "not tough enough," and definitely not the fault of the violent scumbag who beat you up to satisfy his own ego, or the dozens of onlookers who did nothing to stop it.It's also portrayed in the end as 'humorous' that the titular character refuses to report his attacker who nearly killed him to the police, thus ensuring that the cycle of bullying and violence will go on forever.Truly, this is a film for people who don't bother to stop and examine the injustices, abusive relationships, and trauma they've experienced, but rather to mindlessly celebrate it, normalize it, and depict it as being o.k. A film made by a mind who is equally immature as the subjects he's filming.