Directed by the duo of Saint Martin and Tab Edwards, The Kingfish is a 19 minute film that stars Xavier Edwards, Taylor Myrick, Britt Starghill, Jordan Webber and others. Billed as a television comedy, the pilot follows the adventures of three Philadelphia based teens who find themselves navigating a series of difficult situations that they find themselves in.
The pilot follows X, Bobby and Flip (played by Xavier Edwards, Taylor Myrick and Britt Starghill) who decide to go to North Philadelphia on a whim. In pursuit of a package whose contents are not known, the trio will cross paths with shady individuals, some of whom have nefarious designs as well. The adventure gets a bit tricky as the trio is forced to use both their brains and their wit to survive.
In an endless landscape of comedy films and pilots, The Kingfish is an interesting project that has a lot going for it. The story is organic and the central McGuffin, the mysterious box, is used intelligently to further the plot in creative ways. The leads are likeable and there is not a single dull moment in the entire film. Some of the more tense moments could have been further fleshed out but this is a minor complaint when looking at the overarching picture. The fact is that the story works and it works pretty well.
In the acting department, the three leads; Xavier Edwards, Britt Starghill and Taylor Myrick all do a wonderful job of bringing their characters to life. Tapping into their energetic charm, the trio work well as a gang of teens who use wit, humour and sharp thinking to get ahead of every possible obstacle that could come their way. The antagonists played by Keron Morton and Omar Long are equally impressive and provide significant competition to the protagonists during the course of the story. In addition, the technical aspects of the production are fantastic as well with the editing, cinematography and music all working in tandem to create a fantastic adventure.
The Kingfish does a good job of laying the groundwork for what is sure to be a whole season of the adventures of X, Bobby and Flip. With likeable leads, adventure and wit, The Kingfish finds a way to make itself distinct from most of the comedy fare out there and manages to succeed in more ways than one.