Queen & Slim (2019)
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A young couple goes on the run after a fatal confrontation with a police officer during a traffic stop.
The story
Queen, a criminal defense attorney, meets her Tinder date Slim in an Ohio diner. After being pulled over by a white police officer, a heated argument escalates into a violent confrontation where Slim kills the officer in self-defense. Realizing they face life in prison, Queen and Slim decide to flee. They hijack a truck from a Kentucky sheriff and begin a perilous journey across the country. As they navigate various encounters with locals and law enforcement, the two bond deeply while trying to evade the authorities and the growing media attention surrounding the viral footage of their confrontation.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Queen, a criminal defense attorney, and her Tinder date Slim are pulled over in Ohio. During a tense traffic stop, Slim kills a white police officer in self-defense after the officer draws a gun on him. The couple flees, hijacking a truck from a Kentucky sheriff and leaving him in the trunk. They travel through various locations, including New Orleans, where they stay with Queen's estranged Uncle Earl. Along the way, they encounter a black mechanic whose son, Junior, takes their photo, and they visit the grave of Queen's mother. Despite a $500,000 bounty and a SWAT raid on a safe house in Florida, they continue their journey. They eventually reach a Florida trailer where a man offers them a plane escape. As they walk toward the plane, they are intercepted by police. They declare their love for each other before Queen is shot dead and Slim is subsequently gunned down. The film ends with the public viewing them as martyrs, with Junior's photo of them becoming a national symbol.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 132
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Melina Matsoukas
- Writers
- Lena Waithe · screenplay; James Frey · story; Lena Waithe · story
- Cast and characters
- Daniel Kaluuya · Ernest "Slim" Hines; Jodie Turner-Smith · Angela "Queen" Johnson; Bokeem Woodbine · Uncle Earl; Chloë Sevigny · Mrs. Shepherd; Flea · Mr. Johnny Shepherd; Sturgill Simpson · Police Officer Reed; Indya Moore · Goddess; Benito Martinez · Sheriff Edgar
- Genres
- romantic road crime drama; crime thriller; romantic drama
- Themes
- Self-defense; Racial injustice; Love; Martyrdom
- Tone and mood
- Stylish; Provocative; Powerful; Gripping
- Premise and plot tags
- Road movie; Crime thriller; Romantic drama; Fugitive story
- Source material / true-story basis
- Original idea by James Frey
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the lead performances, direction, and its overall theme and message. It was described as stylish, provocative, and powerful.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 82% · review count: 233; PostTrak · score: 5 · scale: 5
- Production trivia
- The film was a co-financing project by Makeready.; The film was released in the United Kingdom in January 2020.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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