King Saud is a Hollywood murder mystery that touches on police corruption, international terrorism and high end prostitution. Maybe not rising to the level of Chinatown, writer/director Mark Toma still weaves an intriguing story, and with almost no characters above board, the shades of gray forces a conflicting ending that leaves no easy answers.
The 116 minute feature begins with a decadent Saudi prince who is having his way with a Hollywood hooker. A gunman enters the room, and the story is put into motion.
As such, we meet Wolfe (Mark Toma). Toma delivers with a snarky callousness that dovetails his overall predicament. Wolfe is immersed by a top-down police corruption that he has no real power to stop and is forced to go along with. Bad for him, we are more than happy to reap the rewards of an agitated submission that come across well in abrupt one liners.
Alongside, Lynch (Kate Orsini) plays a mix of partner and babysitter to this man-child. She also has her own agenda. Internal affairs has planted her with Wolfe in hopes of addressing the issues within the precinct. So Orsini gives us a strong performance that must balance the loyalties of partnership with the professional aspiration of cleaning up the police corruption she hates.
Mike Saad in the role of Al Mahir steals the show, though. His character oversees the Saudi mansion as the butler/personal assistant, and the actor glides through the tenuous situation like it’s just another day inside the layered hypocrisy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
A suspect by design, Saad conveys to us a man who isn’t the least bit fazed by the mess that has landed at his door. Al Mahir has had to navigate the waters of his dangerous homeland, and easy pickings, an L.A. Cop is nothing by comparison. So with his perfect enunciation and mastery of the English language, his middle eastern accent and highly educated discourse flaunts an indifferent arrogance, and the result is a sheer delight.
The main players in place, the final component is the escort service. They provided for the prince and their services also intersect with the police corruption on the docket. At the helm, Carlucci (Rachel Alig) rules her fiefdom with an iron hand, and like any feudal lord, she’s open to all opportunities for expansion. Thus, the delve into below board police activity, and the intricate danger it brings becomes all the more believable because of the actresses’ fearless presentation.
In tandem with the trumpeting of the very familiar L.A. sounding police corruption score, the drama escalates as we get deeper into the true nature of characters. Lynch wants to do the right thing, Al Mahir hates the hypocrisy of his leaders, and despite getting the chance to address corruption, Lynch can’t bear betraying her partner as an internal affairs mole.
The Morgan Schmidt cinematography reiterates the plight. Indoors, the shadowy presentations reveal how the closed door corruption is concealed and sets the stage for the brightly lit outdoor scenes. No matter how violent or decadent the result, the fallout doesn’t matter in the light of day because it’s all been so carefully planned.
Of course, the larger forces are ever present and continually confronted by its web, and our thoroughly conflicted characters know how powerless Nicholson felt in 1974. But for all of Jake’s faults, the iconic character still hedged closer to the letter of the law. Conversely, these anti-heroes aren’t so encumbered, and even our guilt is alleviated when the real bad guys find out, this ain’t Chinatown.
