The Canadian television production Would Be Kings tells the story of two cops who happen to be cousins and best friends.  Patrick is the nose-to-the-grindstone, by-the books upwardly mobile one who feels monetary and marital pressures and goes dirty while Jamie, the recovering alcoholic, is transferred to Internal Affairs and is determined to go straight.  The murder of Jamie’s partner sends events and relationships spiraling out of control, testing loyalties while betrayal abounds.

Would Be Kings is equal parts crime and relationship drama, but the crime half is much more compelling.  Patrick’s dealings with mob boss Frank Patero are tense and escalate believably while the office politics ring true and there is a gritty realism throughout the murder investigation.  Conversely the family and marital issues are forced and melodramatic.  Patrick and Diana’s relationship is all over the place and while it is clear from the start that Patrick puts his job first and Diana wishes Patrick were around more, Diana’s melt-down over what color the new pool should be is extreme.  Her subsequent jumping into bed with Jamie is a clichéd and ineffective plot device to make the audience question Jamie’s motives.  Even more hackneyed is what happens when Jamie begins to put two and two together re: Patrick’s dabbling in the dark side.   The writers practically announce the movie’s climax in neon long before it happens, killing the effect.  They partially redeem themselves with the aftermath, but parts of Would Be Kings are definitely stronger than the whole, and I think producers oversold the film when they tagged it as based on Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I.

The acting is top-notch all around, with Currie Graham anchoring the film as the conflicted and desperately ambitious “good cop.”  Ben Bass shines in the showier role of fun honorary uncle and wild card cop and he gives it a depth I didn’t expect.  Natasha Henstridge rose above her poorly fleshed-out role of unhappy wife, giving it a nuance and dignity the writers did not and winning a Gemini Award in the process.  Robert Forster was slick, cunning, and menacing as the crime boss.  I only wish he had more screen time.  Stana Katic was a stand-out as Jamie’s Internal Affairs partner, again giving depth to a less-than-fully written role.

While Would Be Kings aired on CTV as a four hour mini-series, it’s only a 90 minute movie on the DVD.  I haven’t found any information that cuts were made for the DVD release, but I can’t imagine the original airing had two and a half hours of commercials, so I don’t understand the discrepancy.  If cuts were in fact made, I think they benefitted the film because while the relationship drama could have used more build-up to make sense, it already almost overwhelms the film and any more filler would have killed any suspense.

The picture and audio are what you would expect from a high quality television program.  All dialogue is audible and the music well-balanced.  The picture is clear with good contrast.  There are no special features on the no-frills disc, just a copy of the original trailer.  Overall, this is a decent TV crime drama: worth a rental but not the sales price.