Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- brooding
- sincere
- sultry
- classic movie night
- elvis marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly regard it as one of Elvis Presley’s strongest screen performances, praising its atmospheric New Orleans nightlife, character work, musical sequences, and tense melodrama despite a weaker late stretch.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Danny’s singing at the King Creole nightclub offers money and opportunity but draws him into Maxie Fields’s criminal orbit.
The film uses black-and-white cinematography and Bourbon Street nightclubs to create a dark, atmospheric crime setting.
Maxie Fields seeks to recruit Danny, making professional advancement inseparable from criminal influence.
Danny’s nightclub numbers repeatedly punctuate and intensify conflicts involving money, romance, and gang control.
Films like King Creole, and why
Jailhouse Rock
rock and roll musical drama centered on a young performer navigating criminal pressures and romantic entanglements
The Girl Can't Help It
1950s music-driven crime melodrama featuring an ambitious singer caught between personal loyalty and exploitative entertainment figures
Sweet Smell of Success
stylized black-and-white crime drama combining nightclub performance, seductive danger, and a charismatic male lead
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Curtiz
- Release Date
- 1958-07-02
- Runtime
- 116 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (113)
Cast
- Elvis Presley
- Carolyn Jones
- Walter Matthau
- Dolores Hart
- Dean Jagger
- Liliane Montevecchi
- Vic Morrow
- Paul Stewart
- Jan Shepard
- Brian G. Hutton
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is King Creole about?
- A gifted but troubled young singer fights to support his family while escaping a New Orleans nightclub boss’s criminal grasp.
- What is King Creole like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of King Creole as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is King Creole violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in King Creole as moderate.
- What did critics think of King Creole?
- Critics broadly regard it as one of Elvis Presley’s strongest screen performances, praising its atmospheric New Orleans nightlife, character work, musical sequences, and tense melodrama despite a weaker late stretch.
- Which films are like King Creole?
- Films with a similar feel include Jailhouse Rock, The Girl Can't Help It, and Sweet Smell of Success.
- How long is King Creole?
- King Creole runs 116 minutes.
- Where can I watch King Creole?
- In United States, King Creole streams on Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
