The King

The King (original Greek title O Vasilias) is a 2002 Greek drama film directed by Nikos Grammatikos, who co-wrote the screenplay with Nikos Panayotopoulos. The Greek-language film runs about 130 minutes and features music by Thanasis Papakonstantinou.

The story follows a young man who, freshly released from prison, returns to his childhood town hoping to leave his criminal past behind. The townspeople, and especially the local dignitaries, greet him with suspicion and hostility; only the town's police officer treats him with kindness. When his former girlfriend arrives as well, his past catches up with him and the tension escalates past the point of no return. The film thus portrays an outcast's ostracism and descent into violence within a closed rural community. Starring Vangelis Mourikis, Marilita Lambropoulou and Minas Chatzisavvas, it won the Golden Pyramid at the 2003 Cairo International Film Festival and four Greek State Film Awards.