Matthew McConaughey back on the big screen and we've been waiting long enough. The Rivals of Amziah King hits theaters August 14, after premiering at SXSW earlier this year.

If you caught the buzz out of SXSW back in March you already know people were saying good things. now the rest of us finally get to see what the noise was about.

so what is it? crime thriller. McConaughey leads the cast alongside Cole Sprouse, and based on everything coming out about it, this leans into the grittier side of what he does best. Think Killer Joe energy more than How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. The title alone sounds like something you'd find on a paperback in a gas station rack and I mean that as the highest compliment.

The SXSW crowd is usually pretty reliable for catching things early. that festival has a history of spotlighting movies that feel a little weird, a little dangerous, a little outside what studios typically push wide. so when something survives that circuit with positive word of mouth, you pay attention.

I haven't seen it yet so I'm not gonna pretend I have a take. what I will say is McConaughey in crime thriller mode is a different animal. when he commits to something dark and character-driven the results are usually worth your time. he has this ability to make even unsettling characters feel magnetic, and a movie called The Rivals of Amziah King feels like it needs exactly that kind of energy.

Dante would probably tell me this should've been a three-hour slow burn to really build the atmosphere. he says that about every movie. but I'll take a tight crime thriller that knows when to get in and get out.

If you've been starved for something original at the theater lately, and who hasn't, this feels like the kind of movie worth showing up for. not a sequel. not a remake. not a branded universe expansion. just a movie with a wild title and a lead actor who goes for it.

I'm planning to catch it this week and I'll report back. if it's good, you'll know. if it's not, you'll definitely know.