Review: "King Saud" (2024)

A new independent neo-noir murder mystery is out that combines classic mystery elements with social commentary. King Saud is about two detectives who have to put their differences aside to solve the murder of a Saudi prince who was killed along with a high-priced sex worker. The two are pressured to solve the case before it becomes a national incident. As they draw closer to the answers, dark secrets about the department begin to surface, as well feelings between the two detectives. The question is, are they just playing each other to uncover secrets? Is there more to the murder than what it seems? Is there a chance for redemption among any of the characters?

Director and writer Mark Toma brings us an interesting murder mystery that has more layers than expected. Putting the story on an international scale raises the stakes and is a great additional knot for the detectives to unravel. There is not a lot of action going on as this is a character-driven piece. A lot of scenes are conversations that range from police corruption to gender inequality to class warfare to name just a few topics. Outside of one or two scenes, it doesn’t get preachy, and the conversations are woven into the web of standard murder mystery inquiries. The conversations are kept interesting thanks to the performances of the talented cast.

Kate Orsini plays Detective Lynch, a new detective to the department who is paired with the seasoned veteran Detective Wolfe, played by Mark Toma. They start off as the good cop bad cop dynamic, but it soon develops into more. Orsini portrays Lynch initially as the straight laced cop but you can tell that she is carrying a secret. She is a tough, no BS character who turns her frustration over how she is treated into a strength. Detective Wolfe is one who wears most of his feelings and frustration on his sleeve though you can tell he also harbors some secrets. He is not all bad though, and there is a soft heart under his hardened, I-am-getting-too-old-for-this-shit exterior. Two of the suspects end up being the most interesting characters. Rachel Alig is Carlucci, the madame of the high end sex worker service. She is a strong, complex, dark character who you will love to hate. Just when you think you have her figured out, another layer is added. My favorite character is the servant of the prince who was killed, Al Mahir, played by Mike Saad. I loved every scene he was in. His personality fills the screen and is the most entertaining. He gets some of the most meaty dialog, which is deserved. I love where they took this character by the end.

There is a lot of social commentary which might turn some viewers off. I feel that this could have been trimmed down. We are able to pick up what the director is laying down in most scenes rather quickly and do not need them to linger as long as they do. Towards the end, some character decisions felt forced. These are minor faults in an otherwise interesting film.
If you enjoy a dark, gritty slower burn murder mystery you will enjoy King Saud. The larger statements the director is trying to make about politics and people are not distracting at all. The performances really drive this story to a satisfying ending. I give it 3.5 stubs.