The King of the Mountain (film)
Encyclopedia
The King of the Mountain (El rey de la montaña) (also released as King of the Hill) is a 2007
Spanish
thriller film directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego
. The film stars Argentine actor Leonardo Sbaraglia
and Spanish actress María Valverde
.
Shortly after his car breaks down and he leaves for the woods where he meets Bea, the woman from the petrol station, who seems to be lost as well and denies having stolen Quim's wallet. One of her car tyres has suffered a puncture which Quim reveals was actually caused by a gunshot. They rush to repair the tire and Quim suddenly becomes panicked and they drive off. They drive past Quim's car and see that it has been severely vandalised. The two continue driving until they come across an abandoned roadside café. After they break in and search for supplies they are met by a pair of policemen who are highly suspicious and violently subdue and question them. They do not believe Quim but once he reveals he has run one of the attackers over they agree to take them back to the body to check on his story. After they reach the body Quim is handcuffed to the car and the police investigate the body. (at this point you should note that there was originally a rifle next to the body, this reveals the presence of an accomplice) The two police officers are fired upon and seemingly killed. After a tense moment hiding in the car Bea manages to leave and find a key to unlock Quim's handcuffs. They leave and run through the forest but one of the police officers has survived with a minor gunshot wound to the shoulder. He is still highly suspicious of the two thinking that they had something to do with the snipers. The trio run away through the forest, but upon reaching a particularly hazardous river they are shot at once again and the other police officer is killed soon after.
Quim and Bea take shelter for the night, with Quim making attempts to find out about Bea but she brushes him off, before being hunted once again in the morning by their pursuers. Bea takes a bullet to her shoulder and they both end up trapped in a large pit unable to climb out. With Bea's help Quim manages to get out but as he looks for a stick to help her he hears barking, panicks and runs. After getting a fair distance away he changes his mind and begins to run back but before he gets back he hears a gunshot. as they make their way up a gulley and Quim, their pursuers drawing closer, chooses to abandon her to her fate. With Bea weeping and trapped in the gulley the hunters are finally revealed to be a pair of young boys who proceed to murder her. They are casual about it, with one remarking at how her blood splattered his companion's face and taking a picture of the body with a mobile phone. The film then switches to the viewpoint of the hunters as they track Quim through the forest. Quim flees alone, his hunters revelling in the sport. Eventually they come across a barn and stop for a break. When one of the boys starts adding points for a deer he had killed earlier the other becomes annoyed and accuses him of changing the rules to suit himself. They have an argument and it is revealed they are brothers,during this Quim manages to lock them in the barn and escape. Quim escapes to an abandoned village the two brothers catch up with him and a tense game of cat and mouse ensues but he manages to ambush and kill one of the boys by hiding in a pool of water; showing deep regret afterwards. The other brother approaches Quim, weeping and angry after his brothers death, and thrusts his gun at him, but Quim embraces him, only to have the boy struggle free and shoot himself off-camera. Quim weeps by the brother's bodies, thrusting his hands to the heavens as though in prayer, with the boy's dog that had allowed them to track Quim and his companions appearing soon afterwards and Quim putting a hand wearily to his head before the credits roll.
and was released as King of the Hill over The Weinstein Company.
Spanish films of 2007
A list of films produced in Spain in 2007 .-2007:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...
Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
thriller film directed by Gonzalo López-Gallego
Gonzalo López-Gallego
Gonzalo López-Gallego is a film director from Spain, who is best known for his movie Apollo 18, a 2011 sci-fi, thriller and horror film starring Warren Christie and Lloyd Owen.-External links:...
. The film stars Argentine actor Leonardo Sbaraglia
Leonardo Sbaraglia
Leonardo Máximo Sbaraglia is a prominent Argentine film actor, with extensive credits in both Argentina and Spain.He has also worked in Mexico, and was cast in his first English-language role in Red Lights.-Life and work:...
and Spanish actress María Valverde
María Valverde
María Valverde Rodríguez is a Spanish actress.She was born María Valverde Rodriguez in Carabanchel, Madrid. She was 16 when she got a leading role with Luis Tosar in a Manuel Martín Cuenca movie, La flaqueza del bolchevique, she won the 2003 Goya Award for this role.She has also taken part in...
.
Plot
Quim is driving through an isolated rural area and arrives at a petrol station where it is revealed he is trying to get in contact with a woman named Sofia. Whilst on the phone he spots a woman shoplifting and meets her in the bathroom where they have sex and she steals his wallet. In an attempt to follow her to recover his belongings his car is shot at and when he pulls over to inspect the damage a man with a rifle and dog appears and shoots him in the leg. He manages to get back into his car but he only gets so far until he discovers the road is blocked by a bulldozer and fallen tree. Leaving the car in an attempt to get a signal for his phone to call for help he hears a rumbling back at the road where he left his car and promptly drives back the way he came, only to run over his apparent pursuer.Shortly after his car breaks down and he leaves for the woods where he meets Bea, the woman from the petrol station, who seems to be lost as well and denies having stolen Quim's wallet. One of her car tyres has suffered a puncture which Quim reveals was actually caused by a gunshot. They rush to repair the tire and Quim suddenly becomes panicked and they drive off. They drive past Quim's car and see that it has been severely vandalised. The two continue driving until they come across an abandoned roadside café. After they break in and search for supplies they are met by a pair of policemen who are highly suspicious and violently subdue and question them. They do not believe Quim but once he reveals he has run one of the attackers over they agree to take them back to the body to check on his story. After they reach the body Quim is handcuffed to the car and the police investigate the body. (at this point you should note that there was originally a rifle next to the body, this reveals the presence of an accomplice) The two police officers are fired upon and seemingly killed. After a tense moment hiding in the car Bea manages to leave and find a key to unlock Quim's handcuffs. They leave and run through the forest but one of the police officers has survived with a minor gunshot wound to the shoulder. He is still highly suspicious of the two thinking that they had something to do with the snipers. The trio run away through the forest, but upon reaching a particularly hazardous river they are shot at once again and the other police officer is killed soon after.
Quim and Bea take shelter for the night, with Quim making attempts to find out about Bea but she brushes him off, before being hunted once again in the morning by their pursuers. Bea takes a bullet to her shoulder and they both end up trapped in a large pit unable to climb out. With Bea's help Quim manages to get out but as he looks for a stick to help her he hears barking, panicks and runs. After getting a fair distance away he changes his mind and begins to run back but before he gets back he hears a gunshot. as they make their way up a gulley and Quim, their pursuers drawing closer, chooses to abandon her to her fate. With Bea weeping and trapped in the gulley the hunters are finally revealed to be a pair of young boys who proceed to murder her. They are casual about it, with one remarking at how her blood splattered his companion's face and taking a picture of the body with a mobile phone. The film then switches to the viewpoint of the hunters as they track Quim through the forest. Quim flees alone, his hunters revelling in the sport. Eventually they come across a barn and stop for a break. When one of the boys starts adding points for a deer he had killed earlier the other becomes annoyed and accuses him of changing the rules to suit himself. They have an argument and it is revealed they are brothers,during this Quim manages to lock them in the barn and escape. Quim escapes to an abandoned village the two brothers catch up with him and a tense game of cat and mouse ensues but he manages to ambush and kill one of the boys by hiding in a pool of water; showing deep regret afterwards. The other brother approaches Quim, weeping and angry after his brothers death, and thrusts his gun at him, but Quim embraces him, only to have the boy struggle free and shoot himself off-camera. Quim weeps by the brother's bodies, thrusting his hands to the heavens as though in prayer, with the boy's dog that had allowed them to track Quim and his companions appearing soon afterwards and Quim putting a hand wearily to his head before the credits roll.
Cast
- Leonardo SbaragliaLeonardo SbaragliaLeonardo Máximo Sbaraglia is a prominent Argentine film actor, with extensive credits in both Argentina and Spain.He has also worked in Mexico, and was cast in his first English-language role in Red Lights.-Life and work:...
as Quim - María ValverdeMaría ValverdeMaría Valverde Rodríguez is a Spanish actress.She was born María Valverde Rodriguez in Carabanchel, Madrid. She was 16 when she got a leading role with Luis Tosar in a Manuel Martín Cuenca movie, La flaqueza del bolchevique, she won the 2003 Goya Award for this role.She has also taken part in...
as Bea - Thomas Riordan as Hermano Menor
- Andrés Juste as Hermano Mayor
- Pablo Menasanch as Guardia Joven
- Francisco Olmo as Guardia Mayor
- Manuel Sánchez Ramos as Empleado Gasolinera
- Michael De La Torre as Quim - English Language Dubbing
Release
The film had its North America premiere on 8 September 2007 as part of the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival2007 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2007 Toronto International Film Festival was a 32nd annual film festival held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It ran from September 6, 2007 to September 15, 2007. The lineup consisted of 349 films from 55 countries, selected from 4156 submissions...
and was released as King of the Hill over The Weinstein Company.