Elvis Presley was a hugely influential performer with one of the most distinctive singing voices of anybody. He embarked on a film career consisting of 33 films from 1956 to 1969, films that did well at the box-office but mostly panned critically (especially his later films) and while he was a highly charismatic performer he was never considered a great actor.
While not one of the top three Elvis films, those being 'King Creole', 'Flaming Star' and 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Kid Galahad' is one of his better overall films, certainly one of the best of those he made in the 60s. It's proof that his early films were actually pretty good, but unfortunately it was one of his last good ones when the formula started here wore increasingly thin and further suffered from looking less appealing and even the quality of the soundtracks and Elvis' acting wavering significantly.
'Kid Galahad' doesn't completely work. Apart from two very good songs, "I Got Lucky" and "Home Is Where The Heart Is", the songs are not particularly memorable and don't fit particularly well, sometimes feeling awkwardly shoe-horned. The boxing sequences do lack excitement and come over as somewhat clumsy, and some of the dialogue (very rarely a strong suit in Elvis' films) is pure toe-curling corn.
The locations however are colourful, and 'Kid Galahad' has a suitably gritty but never cheap visual style. The story is far from fluffy and actually has a good deal of meat, while there are a few good lines, two great songs and an energetic music score.
Phil Karlson's direction is solid, but it's the acting that elevates 'Kid Galahad'. Elvis is very relaxed and cool, while Charles Bronson and Gig Young stand out very strongly in supporting roles. It was interesting to see Ed Asner in his debut, and while Lola Albright and Joan Blackman don't have much to do they are charming and have good chemistry with Elvis.
Overall, pretty good and compares very favourably against Elvis' other 60s vehicles. 7/10 Bethany Cox
While not one of the top three Elvis films, those being 'King Creole', 'Flaming Star' and 'Jailhouse Rock', 'Kid Galahad' is one of his better overall films, certainly one of the best of those he made in the 60s. It's proof that his early films were actually pretty good, but unfortunately it was one of his last good ones when the formula started here wore increasingly thin and further suffered from looking less appealing and even the quality of the soundtracks and Elvis' acting wavering significantly.
'Kid Galahad' doesn't completely work. Apart from two very good songs, "I Got Lucky" and "Home Is Where The Heart Is", the songs are not particularly memorable and don't fit particularly well, sometimes feeling awkwardly shoe-horned. The boxing sequences do lack excitement and come over as somewhat clumsy, and some of the dialogue (very rarely a strong suit in Elvis' films) is pure toe-curling corn.
The locations however are colourful, and 'Kid Galahad' has a suitably gritty but never cheap visual style. The story is far from fluffy and actually has a good deal of meat, while there are a few good lines, two great songs and an energetic music score.
Phil Karlson's direction is solid, but it's the acting that elevates 'Kid Galahad'. Elvis is very relaxed and cool, while Charles Bronson and Gig Young stand out very strongly in supporting roles. It was interesting to see Ed Asner in his debut, and while Lola Albright and Joan Blackman don't have much to do they are charming and have good chemistry with Elvis.
Overall, pretty good and compares very favourably against Elvis' other 60s vehicles. 7/10 Bethany Cox