‘Call Her King’: Naturi Naughton Shines in BET+ Action Movie (Review)

BET+ continues to grow by bringing in some of the top Black actors and actresses. In the streaming service’s newest film Call Her King, Naturi Naughton and Lance Gross battle each other in an intense action thriller. Call Her King is directed and written by Wes Miller, who also directed A Day to Die, and it’s a film that delivers — despite some weak spots.

Naughton stars as Jaeda King, a judge who just sentenced Sean Samuels to death for murder. But as the sentencing hearing is going on, Sean’s brother, Gabriel (Gross) hijacks the courthouse. Jaeda is able to escape but does everything and anything she can to save her courtroom from complete destruction. 

The one thing that stands out in the film is Naughton’s portrayal as a judge. While most fans know her from the Starz series Power, she shows that she has the chops to be a judge who can fight. The one thing that would have been good to see is more of a backstory on her character. While it’s teased at the beginning, having viewers see more of what she had to deal with during her younger years would have given the film a boost. 

Gabriel was a strong antagonist who had no issues doing what he needed to do to get what he wants. Gross, who is known for his work on House of Payne Meet the Browns and MacGyver, was entertaining in the film and worked well with Naughton despite the two not having a lot of scenes together. 

While this might seem like a typical action film, Miller developed a story that has some twists and turns. There are some holes in the overall story, but it was interesting since the ending isn’t what you might think it would be. But with a movie like Call Her King, the overall action is the goal. The fighting scenes were strong, especially from Naughton who made her final fight with Gross believable. Even Nicholas Turturo, who plays a lawyer named Jerry Spencer, mixed it up a little bit and was involved in a semi-surprising moment in the movie. 

Call Her King does enough to satisfy those who are looking for a new action film. There are some clunky moments, but it doesn’t take away from the performances of a strong cast and the fighting scenes that pick up as the film goes along. And based on the ending of the flim, this might not be the last time we see Naughton as Jaeda King.