King Ivory

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2:26

King Ivory

R

2025

2h 10m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

72%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

68%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

From civilians to criminals to addicts to law enforcement, and everyone in between, all walks of life intersect in this thriller about the epidemic that is fentanyl; street name: King Ivory. It is business as usual for Tulsa drug cop, Layne West (James Badge Dale), battling the local criminal element, which hits too close to home when his son, Jack (Jasper Jones), gets hooked on fentanyl. In conjunction with his partner, Ty (George Carroll), and FBI counterpart, Beatty (Rory Cochrane), West makes it his mission in life to take down those responsible, including the Mexican cartel's local shot-caller, Ramón Garza (Michael Mando), Indian Brotherhood War Chief, Holt Lightfeather (Graham Greene), who controls state-wide trafficking while serving life inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac," and the local Irish Mob family outfit, led by George "Smiley" Greene (Ben Foster), along with his mother, Ginger (Melissa Leo), and uncle, Mickey (Ritchie Coster). As Holt educates West during a prison visit, "The cartels want your kids, the next generation, who want what is new, and fentanyl is new."

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Robert Daniels

New York Times

Dec 5

A thematically heavier, cinematically attuned picture that misses its emotional mark.

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Kyle Logan

Chicago Reader

Nov 23

3/5

King Ivory [is] a solid riff on Sicario and a collection of almost all the cliches of Traffic (including the anti-drug crusader with an addict child) with none of the visual flair.

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Simon Abrams

RogerEbert.com

Nov 14

1.5/4

It’s flat, it’s grey, and it only satisfies if you want a sad, familiar mess to look down on.

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James Mottram

Radio Times

Feb 23

3/5

Writer/director John Swab conjures a gritty authenticity, with drab, grimy Tulsa locales and frenzied, handheld camerawork.

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Carla Hay

Culture Mix

Jan 6

King Ivory is a flawed but absorbing drama with multiple storylines about people affected by the buying and selling of fentanyl. The talented acting performances hold the movie together during the most cumbersome moments.

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Jeffrey M. Anderson

Common Sense Media

Dec 31

3/5

Veteran B movie maker John Swab turns in a surprisingly compelling epic thriller by telling a story about the illegal drug industry from many angles, one marred only when it falls back into B movie territory.

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MARICAROLYN S

Nov 19

Everyone must see this

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monica w

Nov 19

Too long all the action was in the preview I give it a 5.5 out of ten

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Justin G

Nov 17

Great movie! Very relevant to our times, especially if you have high school aged kids!

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Mr Hollywood

Nov 17

Standard drug dealers, cops and the people in between story line. Was good enough. Spoke some facts overall that makes you think as well. Worth a watch

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christopher b

Nov 17

Great story. Great performances all around but especially from Ben Foster and Melissa Leo.

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Facebook U

Nov 16

Strong acting portrayal and intriguing storylines carry the film but King Ivory seems to be on a train to nowhere. The sad reality of the U.S never ending struggle with drug abuse is insatiably depressing. Agent West’s visit to Lightfoot to exclaim his valor to fight the drug epidemic was quickly shot down with the notion that it’s never going to end well. “The rain falls on the just and the unjust alike” Biblically borrowed line but poignantly accurate. King Ivory has all of the making of worthy must see in theaters that ends abruptly with no resolution.

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John Swab

Director

Rory Cochrane

Actor

James Badge Dale

Actor

Ben Foster

Actor

Melissa Leo

Actor

Graham Greene

Actor

King Ivory: Exclusive Movie Clip - Shootout

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King Ivory: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

From civilians to criminals to addicts to law enforcement, and everyone in between, all walks of life intersect in this thriller about the epidemic that is fentanyl; street name: King Ivory. It is business as usual for Tulsa drug cop, Layne West (James Badge Dale), battling the local criminal element, which hits too close to home when his son, Jack (Jasper Jones), gets hooked on fentanyl. In conjunction with his partner, Ty (George Carroll), and FBI counterpart, Beatty (Rory Cochrane), West makes it his mission in life to take down those responsible, including the Mexican cartel's local shot-caller, Ramón Garza (Michael Mando), Indian Brotherhood War Chief, Holt Lightfeather (Graham Greene), who controls state-wide trafficking while serving life inside the Oklahoma State Penitentiary at McAlester a.k.a. "Big Mac," and the local Irish Mob family outfit, led by George "Smiley" Greene (Ben Foster), along with his mother, Ginger (Melissa Leo), and uncle, Mickey (Ritchie Coster). As Holt educates West during a prison visit, "The cartels want your kids, the next generation, who want what is new, and fentanyl is new."

Director: John Swab
Producer: Jeremy M. Rosen
Screenwriter: John Swab
Distributor: Roadside Attractions / Saban Films
Production Co: Roxwell Films
Rating: R
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 14, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 16, 2025
Box Office (Gross USA): $154.1K
Runtime: 2h 10m