King Cobra is a 2016 American biographical film about the life and early career of Brent Corrigan. It was directed by Justin Kelly and was based on the book Cobra Killer: Gay Porn, Murder, and the Manhunt to Bring the Killers to Justice by Andrew E. Stoner and Peter A. Conway. The film was released on October 21, 2016, by IFC Midnight.
King Cobra | |
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Directed by | Justin Kelly |
Produced by |
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Screenplay by | Justin Kelly |
Story by |
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Based on | Cobra Killer by Andrew E. Stoner Peter A. Conway |
Starring |
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Music by | Tim Kvasnosky |
Cinematography | Benjamin Loeb |
Edited by | Joshua Raymond Lee |
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Distributed by | IFC Midnight |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Box office | $74,712 |
Screenplay
The film centers on the 2007 murder of gay pornography producer Bryan Kocis (named "Stephen" in the film, played by Christian Slater), who operates from his suburban house. Stephen turns 'Brent', a wannabe underage adult performer, into a gay pornstar. Brent leaves after learning how much Stephen is making, while paying him little, but finds that his contract prevents him from working for anyone else. Rival producers Joe (James Franco) and his lover/star Harlow (Keegan Allen), keen to hire Brent and make serious money, decide they need to 'take care of' Stephen.
- Garrett Clayton as Sean Paul Lockhart / Brent Corrigan
- Christian Slater as Stephen Kocis
- Keegan Allen as Harlow Cuadra
- James Franco as Joseph "Joe" Kerekes
- Alicia Silverstone as Janette Lockhart
- Spencer Lofranco as Mikey
- Molly Ringwald as Amy Kocis
- Sean Grandillo as Caleb
King Cobra premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival in April 2016. Shortly after, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film. The film was released in the US on October 21, 2016.
Rotten Tomatoes reports that 43% of 35 surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating is 5.3/10. Metacritic rated it 48/100 based on 19 reviews. Graham Fuller of Screen Daily wrote that it was "a movie of such wit and daring that it could transcend its LGBT appeal to become a crossover hit". David Ehrlich of IndieWire gave it a letter grade of B+ and described it as a "rock-solid dark comedy" with an excellent cast. Peter Debruge of Variety called it "all smut and no soul", comparing it to Cinemax After Dark. John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter called it "a dreary would-be thriller" that has poor pacing.
Corrigan himself was approached about playing a supporting role in the film but declined. He later criticized the filmmakers for "bastardising" his life to present an inaccurate portrayal of the murder and of his time in pornography.