Out on November 14, 2025, via Saban Films and Roadside Attractions, King Ivory is a personal film for Writer/Director John Swab (Ida Red 2021, Candy Land 2022). After having overcome opioid addiction in the past, he aims to capture the reality of how fentanyl- the titular drug of choice- is developed, distributed, sold, and handled by the law. He even wrote the script based on talks with cartel members, prisoners, police, those addicted to the drug, and their families.
The result is a story about a Tulsa cop named Layne West (James Badge Dale: The Departed 2006, Iron Man 3 2013), who is part of the force’s anti-drug division. Things get personal when his son Jack (Jasper Jones: To Die For series, Bleeding 2024) gets hooked on fentanyl, so he aims to cut the supply off at the source, targeting Mexican cartel member Ramon Garza (Michael Mando: Better Call Saul series, Spider-Man: Brand New Day 2026), prison trafficker Holt Lightfeather (Graham Greene: Dances with Wolves 1990, Wind River 2017), and Irish mob leader George ‘Smiley’ Greene (Ben Foster: 3:10 to Yuma 2007, Hell or High Water 2016) among others. But what can the authorities, let alone one cop, do against a whole underground business?
It sounds like a revenge flick, yet it is a bit more nuanced than that, as the story hops between West and the cast of characters, from Garza and his gang moving migrants around, to Smiley taking a proactive approach to business negotiations within prison via a shiv and a length of cord. There are some bad people, but it is not a lone hero against a host of villains like in a character action game; there are as many innocents and morally grey characters in the trade as there are schemers and dealers.
In other words, it aims to be more realistic in its depictions of those working in or fighting against the fentanyl trade, whether they are pushing their luck or dealing with a bad hand. It comes through in the dialogue too, as it rarely, if ever, sounds contrived. From the occasional funny bit of banter to tense arguments and interrogations, the lines all sound natural and are delivered well by the cast. Particularly as some of them are not actors, but actual cops, criminals, and kids.
The camerawork similarly feels held by an invisible observer, a mix of handheld shots with an odd artsy flair, like blurring to suggest a character passing out or under the influence. Without them, it would almost feel like a fly-on-the-wall documentary, albeit one where the criminals actually recorded them dealing out of cars or taking out rival gangsters.
With fine camerawork, dialogue, and acting, and a director with a message to convey, the movie sounds perfect, which it might very well be for some viewers. But for others, the film runs at a slow pace, hopping around to flesh out different character threads in the first hour, then gradually tying them all together in the second. While things do begin to pick up once that ball gets rolling, the buildup to get there lasts as long as a regular feature-length flick (roughly an hour and 15 minutes of its 2-hour 9-minute runtime).
In short, if viewers have the patience to stick it out, King Ivory will reward them with a nuanced, interesting take on the drug trade and its effects on multiple people. This is all delivered in a realistic manner that few other movies can manage. Yet by being so realistic, there is little sizzle on offer, and the slow pacing might be a bit much to take for some. Nonetheless, the movie’s drive and message cannot be denied. All things considered, Cryptic Rock gives King Ivory 3.5 out of 5 stars.
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