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“Sovereign” Film Details

Runtime: 1 Hour(s) and 40 Minutes
Seen Via: Film Festival – Tribeca Film Festival | Press Screening or Screener

Released On: In Theaters & Digital (On July 11, 2025)
Public Release Date: July 11, 2025 (June 8, 2025 – Tribeca Film Festival)
Director(s): Christian Swegal
Writer(s): Christian Swegal
Primary Language: English
Genre(s): Crime, Drama
Rating: Rated R
Distributor: Briarcliff Entertainment

Summary

Jerry (Nick Offerman), with his beliefs in executing technicalities or using obtuse language to avoid accountability, is coming toward the end of his delay tactics. But, unfortunately, between his son, Joe (Jacob Tremblay), and the many desperate enough to pay Jerry for his word salad, they are being dragged down right with him. Joe, in particular, though perhaps was the least prepared for rock bottom.

What To Expect In “Sovereign” (Not Rated) – Content Overview

Dialog:
- Cursing: Occasional
Violence:
- Gun Violence: Full-On BattlesViolence Against Animals or Children: Yes | Children (Teenagers)Gore/ Blood/ Body Horror: Bleeding
- Notable Violence: Intense Fight Scenes
Sexual Content: Nothing Notable
Miscellaneous:
- How Emotional May You Get: Ending May Make You Cry

Review and Commentary

Highlight(s)

Understanding Jerry’s Success [85/100]

Having met a Jerry type in my own life, I can attest that, considering the complicated and archaic ways laws are written, often referred to as legalese, it is easy to believe those like Jerry knew what they were talking about. However, what makes things complicated is that either through manipulation or their charisma, they can be so convincing that what they say seems true. Then, if you follow up on what they are reading, you understand how they arrived at their conclusion.

Note, there is picking and choosing regarding what is convenient and using case law from decades, if not more than a century ago. But, again, because the legal system is so complex that, if ignorant, desperate, or curious, you can find yourself enraptured by the fast-talking person who sounds unreal, empowering, and with saying something beneficial to you – like a targeted social media ad.

So when it comes to Nick Offerman playing Jerry, admittedly, by default, he has the look of someone who could be a grifter, and he taps into this to bring Jerry to life in such a way that even without the “Based on a True Story,” you could be compelled by his performance.

John and Adam’s Story [82/100]

John (Dennis Quaid), the lead of the local law enforcement, and Adam (Thomas Mann), a new cop, are father and son, and you’d think with Jerry and Joe being the same, it would be apt for comparison. While John and Jerry are intense as fathers, with sons a bit more sensitive and impressionable, that is where the comparisons end. If anything, John and Adam’s build-up is to prep you for what is teased in the beginning, and it surprisingly works.

While you don’t get much from or out of Adam, you do get it from John, who even has a scene with Joe. It is through him that you get a different side of the story, one that rarely gets significant screen time with the likes of John types, and it does add a punch to the ending.

Crying Over Joe [84/100]

Having watched Jacob Tremblay for what feels like over a decade, from Room to Good Boys to Cold Copy, seeing him in Sovereign can be an adjustment. However, the same talent that was there before now feels refined.

Joe might just be a kid to an unhinged man, but he is still someone with burgeoning thoughts and feelings and is coming of age. He might have been embedded with Jerry’s beliefs, even home-schooled, but the real world is creeping in. Questions are being avoided or not directly answered, and Joe wants some form of normalcy.

The conflict between what he knows and what he wants fuels your interest in Joe and the hope that he gets what he deserves, exempt from the highway to hell his dad is speeding on.

On The Fence

Based On A true Story, But No Information Provided As an epilogue [74/100]

I believe that if you say something is based on a true story, you should present the facts at the end of the movie to back that up, to allow people to learn the whole story. But unlike most movies that say that they are taken a ripped from the headlines, like Rosemead, Sovereign doesn’t do any of its subjects the honor, or gives the dead the respect, to at least guide you to the truth or provide images to let you know this isn’t just a piece of entertainment, these were real people. Some of whom lost their property, if not their lives.

With that said, this is the Wikipedia article regarding the shooting.

Overall

Our Rating (81/100): Positive (Worth Seeing)

Sovereign works in delivering a notable performance from Offerman, and being a welcomed addition to Tremblay and Quaid’s filmographies. However, it does leave a slight metallic taste in your mouth when all is said and done, and “Based on real events” feels more like a marketing ploy than anything else. Leaving you with this feeling that the focus was far more on entertainment than the deeper, maybe controversial, conversations that could arise from its subject matter.

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Listed Under Categories: Movies, Positive (Worth Seeing)

Sovereign (Tribeca 2025) Film Review & Summary