--- title: "King of the Hill" year: 1993 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/king-of-the-hill" fi1m_id: "king-of-the-hill" imdb_id: "tt0107322" tmdb_id: 34024 wikidata_id: "Q1630996" fi1m_score: 84 critics_score: 78 critics_reviews: 7 published: "2026-09-09" updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:55.960204+00:00" region: "IN" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # King of the Hill (1993) Directed by Steven Soderbergh · 1h 43m · Drama, History ## Identity King of the Hill - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/king-of-the-hill - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** king-of-the-hill - **IMDb ID:** tt0107322 - **TMDB ID:** 34024 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1630996 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107322/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/34024, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1630996 **Fi1m score: 84** · Critics 78 from 7 reviews *In a sentence:* Nobody in this hotel can pay the bill, and the boy at the end of the corridor is the best liar in the building > Soderbergh’s third film leaves a boy alone in a Depression hotel and trusts Jesse Bradford to carry it, which he does without strain. The last half hour tidies up more than it should; everything before it is the best of his early work. ## Synopsis St Louis, the Depression. Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) lives with his parents and his younger brother Sullivan (Cameron Boyd) in a residential hotel where the rent is always late. One by one the family goes: Sullivan is sent to relatives, Mrs Kurlander (Lisa Eichhorn) is taken to a sanatorium, and Mr Kurlander (Jeroen Krabbé), a watch salesman, takes a job that keeps him away. Aaron stays behind, tells his classmates a grander story than the truth, and gets by on his wits and the company of the hotel’s other residents: Lydia (Elizabeth McGovern), the older boy Lester (Adrien Brody) and his teacher Miss Mathey (Karen Allen). Steven Soderbergh adapts A. E. Hotchner’s memoir. ## Review Aaron Kurlander (Jesse Bradford) lives with his parents and his younger brother in a residential hotel in St Louis, in the middle of the Depression, and the family goes one person at a time. Sullivan (Cameron Boyd) is sent to relatives because there is one mouth too many. Mrs Kurlander (Lisa Eichhorn) is taken to a sanatorium. Mr Kurlander (Jeroen Krabbé), who sells watches nobody can afford, finally gets a proper job, and the job is out of town. Aaron is left behind with a key, a promise that someone will be back soon, and no money. Steven Soderbergh’s third film, from A. E. Hotchner’s memoir, is the best thing he had made to that point, and we recommend it warmly, with one caveat about its last half hour. Aaron’s answer to all of this is to lie. He tells his classmates his family has money, and the lies grow as the money shrinks. Bradford plays him watchful and quick, a boy who has worked out that adults believe a confident child, and he never once asks us to feel sorry for him. That is why the scene that got us works as well as it does. Alone in the hotel room, past the point of hunger, Aaron cuts pictures of food out of a magazine, arranges them on a plate, and eats them with a knife and fork, in the right order. Soderbergh holds on it without music. We were not ready for it, and we sat with it for some time afterwards. Elliot Davis shoots the hotel in a thick amber light, curtains glowing, dust in the air, and for the first half hour you could mistake it for nostalgia. It is not. As the rooms empty the light stays warm and the faces in it get thinner, and the contrast does the work a speech would have done in another film. Gary Frutkoff’s hotel is precise about money: a corridor of doors with a padlock appearing on one, then another. Susan Lyall keeps Aaron in the same shirt long enough that you start to notice the collar. Cliff Martinez’s score is small and quick and stays out of the worst scenes altogether. Soderbergh edits his own film and cuts most scenes a beat before you expect, which stops the sentiment settling. The other guests show Aaron every way there is to be broke. Mr Mungo, down the corridor, has a good suit, good manners and a bottle. Elizabeth McGovern’s Lydia is kind to Aaron in a way that comes with terms. Adrien Brody’s Lester, a few years older, has already learned how the city works and passes some of it on. Karen Allen’s Miss Mathey is the one adult who looks at Aaron and sees a child rather than a problem. Joe Chrest’s Ben, the bellhop, and John McConnell’s Patrolman Burns are the hotel’s two kinds of authority, and neither is on Aaron’s side. Amber Benson’s Ella McShane, across the hall, has a mother (Kristin Griffith) who knows exactly how close her own family is to the same edge. Some of these people are one note, and the film knows it; they are there to show Aaron a possible future and then go. What we hold against it is the last stretch, where misfortune arrives in a queue, and then a resolution tidier than anything before it has earned. Krabbé’s father is written soft, too, and the film forgives him more readily than we did. One dissenting review took the changes of tone as a sign the film could not make up its mind. We think they are the point. A child in that room does not get to choose between a funny day and a frightening one. After [*sex, lies, and videotape*](https://film.one/film/sex-lies-and-videotape) and [*Kafka*](https://film.one/film/kafka), this was the first time Soderbergh pointed the camera at people rather than at an idea, and it turned out he was good at it. He has made bigger and colder films since. He has rarely made a warmer one. It runs 103 minutes and does not feel like it. Watch it with something to eat within reach. You will want it. *Fi1m score 84, published 9 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews for King of the Hill are warm and closely grouped, with a single dissenter. Most critics treat Soderbergh’s third film as an early sign of how well he writes and builds a scene: the praise gathers around the screenplay, which makes a shape out of anecdotal memoir material, and around the film’s steady, unsentimental view of Depression-era poverty as seen through a boy’s eyes. Bradford’s performance is singled out repeatedly for its watchfulness and resilience, and several critics admire how the film moves between light and heartbreaking moments without settling into nostalgia. Time Out concedes the coming-of-age story holds few surprises but finds the film’s sensitivity carries it. The one reservation of substance comes from The Independent, which argues that the frequent shifts in tone read as indecision rather than complexity, the very quality others count as the film’s strength. The later reappraisals are, if anything, warmer than the 1993 notices. ## Straight answers **Is King of the Hill worth watching?** *King of the Hill* is worth watching, and we scored it 84: a warm, precise Depression drama about a boy left alone in a St Louis hotel, carried without strain by the young Jesse Bradford. Our one reservation is the last half hour, where misfortune arrives in a queue and the ending tidies up more than the film has earned. **How long is King of the Hill, and what is it rated?** *King of the Hill* runs 1h 43m. It is a drama and history film. **Where can I watch King of the Hill in India?** *King of the Hill* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from ₹99.00. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How does King of the Hill compare to The Florida Project?** *King of the Hill* and [*The Florida Project*](https://film.one/film/the-florida-project) are both childhoods spent in a hotel on the edge of eviction, but they are different in kind. Baker's film stays at a six-year-old's height and is funnier and rawer; Soderbergh's follows an older, cannier boy and is warmer and more shaped, with a softer ending. We think the earlier film is the tidier and more conventionally satisfying, the later one the harder to shake. **Is King of the Hill based on a true story or a book?** *King of the Hill* is based on a true story: Steven Soderbergh adapts A. E. Hotchner's memoir of his own boyhood in a St Louis hotel during the Depression. Our review does not weigh how closely the film keeps to the book, and you do not need to have read it; the film stands entirely on its own. **What should I watch after King of the Hill?** After *King of the Hill*, try [*Paper Moon*](https://film.one/film/paper-moon) (1973, Fi1m 86): Another Depression child who lies for a living, and a father figure who is worse at it. Then [*Nobody Knows*](https://film.one/film/nobody-knows) (2004, Fi1m 87): Four Tokyo children left in a flat by their mother; Kore-eda watches and does not flinch; and [*The Florida Project*](https://film.one/film/the-florida-project) (2017, Fi1m 88): A motel childhood in the shadow of Disney World, seen entirely at a six-year-old’s height. ### Reviews we read (9) - **The AV Club**, Mike D'Angelo (A-): The review praises Soderbergh’s third film as evidence of his strong screenwriting skills, highlighting its expertly crafted screenplay and the illusion of order created from anecdotal source material. It singles out the child protagonist’s resilient, watchful performance and the film’s balanced mix of lighthearted and heartbreaking moments. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/steven-soderbergh-proved-his-skills-as-a-screenwriter-w-1798179697) - **Los Angeles Times**, Michael Wilmington (85/100, inferred): The review calls it one of the finest American films of the year for its mingled apprehension and delight in depicting a boy's resilience. Soderbergh is praised for brilliantly recreating the world of the Depression-era memoir. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-20-ca-25508-story.html) - **Slant Magazine**, Chuck Bowen (85/100, inferred): The review lauds the film as a key early Soderbergh work that receives worthy Criterion treatment, commending its lucid pragmatism and resistance to unearned sentiment. It singles out the child’s-eye view of Depression-era hardship, the push-and-pull tone, and the precise formal construction of key sequences like the hallucination scene. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/king-of-the-hill/) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film for capturing the precariousness of life during the Depression with warmth and wit, without nostalgia. Soderbergh is singled out for turning a moment of hunger into something buoyant and defying expectations. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/20/movies/king-of-the-hill-a-boy-of-the-30-s-with-grit-and-wit.html) - **Variety**, Todd McCarthy (80/100, inferred): The film is hailed for its rich satisfactions as a fine novel, with dense detail and superb acting evoking a boy's Depression life. Soderbergh is noted for animating another time while underlining parallels to contemporary struggles. [Read](https://variety.com/1993/film/reviews/king-of-the-hill-2-1200432207/) - **The Independent** (45/100, inferred): The film mixes period nostalgia for the Thirties with childhood warmth but includes a dark streak. Frequent shifts in tone make it feel indecisive rather than complex. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/film-the-last-chance-hotel-king-of-the-hill-director-steven-soderbergh-us-desperate-remedies-15-director-main-wells-us-late-spring-no-cert-director-yasujiro-ozu-jap-1469193.html) - **Empire**, Matt Mueller: Soderbergh's third feature is a triumphant return to form with exquisite craftsmanship and richly detailed storytelling of a boy's survival during the Depression. Bradford delivers one of the best young performances in recent memory. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/king-hill-review/) - **Time Out**, TCh: The coming-of-age story holds few surprises but the film's sensitivity speaks volumes, with Soderbergh letting his camera do the talking as an initially nostalgic hue turns harder and tougher. The result is both heartening and astringent. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/king-of-the-hill-1) - **Paste**, Jesse Hassenger (85/100, inferred): The film stands alone as Soderbergh’s best pre-Out of Sight movie and belongs among his best overall. It is structured as a series of vignettes that accumulate in power through Soderbergh’s skill at turning character into story and his strong casting choices. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/steven-soderbergh/king-of-the-hill-best-steven-soderbergh-youve-never-seen) ## Details - **Director:** Steven Soderbergh - **Director:** Steven Soderbergh - **Screenplay:** Steven Soderbergh - **Novel:** A. E. Hotchner - **Cinematography:** Elliot Davis - **Editor:** Steven Soderbergh - **Music:** Cliff Martinez - **Production design:** Gary Frutkoff - **Costume design:** Susan Lyall - **Producer:** Barbara Maltby, Ron Yerxa, Albert Berger - **Cast:** Jesse Bradford as Aaron Kurlander; Jeroen Krabbé as Mr. Kurlander; Lisa Eichhorn as Mrs. Kurlander; Karen Allen as Miss Mathey; Spalding Gray as Mr. Mungo; Elizabeth McGovern as Lydia; Cameron Boyd as Sullivan; Adrien Brody as Lester - **Runtime:** 1h 43m - **First release (France):** 19 May 1993 - **Genres:** Drama, History - **Budget:** $8 million - **Box office:** $1 million ## Where to watch in India - Amazon Prime Video: rent ₹99.00, hd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: FR, IN, IT. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Paper Moon* (1973), Fi1m 86: Another Depression child who lies for a living, and a father figure who is worse at it — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paper-moon.md) - *Nobody Knows* (2004), Fi1m 87: Four Tokyo children left in a flat by their mother; Kore-eda watches and does not flinch — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/nobody-knows.md) - *The Florida Project* (2017), Fi1m 88: A motel childhood in the shadow of Disney World, seen entirely at a six-year-old’s height — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-florida-project.md) - *Hope and Glory* (1987), Fi1m 82: Boorman’s Blitz boyhood, where catastrophe for the grown-ups is the best summer of your life — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hope-and-glory.md) - *Bicycle Thieves* (1948), Fi1m 93: A father, a son and a stolen bicycle in postwar Rome; poverty filmed without pity — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bicycle-thieves.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/king-of-the-hill