Captured across America in influential cities such as; Memphis, Las Vegas and New York, much of the documentary occurs within Presley's own car, a 1963 Rolls-Royce Phantom V which was bought by production for the film.

[8] The film is captured almost entirely on the road, with the Rolls-Royce functioning both as a mode of transportation and a place for discussions with musicians, celebrities, journalists and historians about Elvis, music, success and America.

Much of the film's focus is on African American viewpoints, especially in terms of Presley's appropriation of blues music and limited contribution to the Civil Rights Movement, criticism.

In-car discussions with Van Jones, Chuck D and TV auteur David Simon contextualize Presley's success in light of white supremacy, black heritage and cultural appropriation.

Jones is particularly vocal, expressing his frustration with a man who, “owed his career to sounds pioneered by black people but couldn’t speak out on behalf of the Civil Rights Movement”.

Overlaying fast tempo music, Jarecki conveys Presley's fall through footage of the twin towers burning, candidates rallying and Barney the purple dinosaur waving.

Transitioning from a young rebellious performer to a commercialized celebrity churning out feature films and making self-parodying jokes of himself in Las Vegas,[11] audiences are able to document his decline before reflecting on the potential fate of their own nation.

Jarecki explores this theme visually, through archival footage of Chuck Berry, the forgotten pioneer of Rock ’n’ Roll audibly, through the overlay of Public Enemy’s ‘Fight the Power’ which states, “Elvis was a hero to most / But he never meant shit to me you see / Straight up racist that sucker was”[3] within the documentary, and literally through discussion with influential African American musicians and school students.

Distanced from reality through its transportation of celebrities throughout the documentary, the Rolls-Royce becomes an eerie and sad setting, as the car travels through impoverished towns, and is overlaid with jarring footage of Presley during his decline.

Winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival as well as, a second Peabody award, Jarecki's critique of America through the exploration of the nation's war on drugs led to the conception of the article subject The King.

Originally planning to convey the “young nation’s rapid transformation solely through archival footage and direct interviews, Jarecki’s decision to change this method prevailed as a result of his vision to unify the film.

Discussing Elvis Presley and the issues of race and appropriation, the students authenticated the interview sequence in their singing of gospel songs and reclaiming of blues music conventions.

The website's critical consensus reads, "The King pursues a wildly ambitious thesis through some fairly bumpy territory, but emerges as a provocative and insightful look at modern America.