One Night with the King is a story of the faith of one woman with her God. This faith leads her from poverty to become a queen of Persia and help stop a genocide. The film is well acted by a superb cast. The men are men, and the casting is perfect for Esther, played by Tiffany Dupont. Omar Sharif plays Prince Memucan, the loyal right-hand man of King Xerxes, King of Persia. Tommy Lister plays Hegai, a powerful African presence on screen who protects Esther and grooms her for the King. His performance adds another royal touch to the film. John Rhys-Davies as Mordecai, a Jewish prophet and protector of Esther, rises to power in the Persian empire also because of his faith in his God and his refusal to compromise his faith. A cameo by Peter O'Toole as Samuel the Prophet adds an appropriate touch of the power of God working through man.
There is a huge cast and huge production, and the cinematography and wardrobes are simply exquisite. The only thing missing is a huge battle scene, not for me in particular but for the masses, who are used to seeing such scenes in epics such as this. I believe this would have brought the film to another success level, particularly financially. For the warrior in men and the admiration of warriors in women, these scenes often stir the soul, even if animated by computer graphics, such as in Lord of The Rings.
Luke Goss definitely comes off as a warrior king, and even his enemy Haman, played by James Callis, comes off as a warrior, self-deceived by his own hatred of the Jews. John Noble excellently portrays the villain Prince Admantha.
The world needs more films like this–films that have all the elements of modern film professionalism and technology, with the addition of spiritual content, which this film definitely gave. Even if you don't believe in God, the love between Esther and the Persian king touches the nobility of the soul to have trust that love will conquer and overcome evil.
~Van of Urantia*MPAA = Motion Picture Association of America
