I’ve always wondered what accounted for Richard Gere's status as a major Hollywood star, and this film doesn’t really clarify things. It presents a fairly conventional telling of David’s journey to becoming king of Israel. The story begins when God grows dissatisfied with King Saul’s actions (played by Edward Woodward), prompting the prophet Samuel (Denis Quilley) to declare that young David will take over. Naturally…

"King David" (1985) presents a good overview of the biblical figure’s life, though it falls short of greatness due to its rushed pacing. I find David to be one of my favorite characters in the Bible, and I always enjoy exploring his story—the challenges he faced, his moments of triumph and despair, his successes and failures. The film stars Richard Gere as King David and attempts to cover a significant portion of …