Elvis film review: Baz Luhrmann’s sparkling biopic of the mighty king of rock ‘n’ roll

Elvis
Cert 15 | ★★★★✩

Visionary Aussie writer-director Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet) takes on the story of the mighty king of rock ‘n’ roll in this sparkling and brilliantly acted Elvis Presley biopic. Starring Austin Butler (Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, The Dead Don’t Die) as Elvis, the film tells the tragic story of the star’s troubled relationship with his manager, the infamous Colonel Tom Parker – played in the film by Tom Hanks – who is often accused of deliberately stunting the star’s career abroad.

Luhrmann and co-writers Sam Bromell, Craig Pearce and Jeremy Done deliver a fast-paced and expertly executed biopic which at times feels like the vivid fever dreams of the drug-addled star. As well as broaching the murky relationship between Presley and his famously slippery manager, the film also takes on, albeit often clumsily, the accusations of musical appropriation thrown at Presley thought his career.

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Tom Hanks delivers a suitably villainous turn as the scheming Colonel Tom Parker (Photo: Warner Bros)

From BB King (Kelvin Harrison Jr., brilliant as ever) to an electrifying Little Richard (Alton Mason), Luhrmann demonstrates the love his subject had for black music and the influences he picked up as a child growing up in a poor Memphis neighbourhood. And while there are some justifications offered, mostly pertaining to Parker’s dictatorial management style, the excuses given for the singer’s repeated failure to comment on civil-rights issues, often feel too convenient. Perhaps that’s understandable as Elvis’s family gave Luhrmann their approval.