Elvis, who would have turned 70 in January, was inimitable yet incessantly imitated. Rhys Meyers has the brooding beauty and electrically charged moves of the young Elvis down cold, and the 27-year-old Irish actor nails the rhythms and inflections of Elvis' distinctive Southern drawl. The singing voice was not a challenge — "Elvis" is the first biopic that the Presley estate has allowed to use Elvis master recordings — but Rhys Meyers seems particularly inspired in his lip- and hip-syncing.

Not especially Elvis-savvy before the film — he was 21 days old when Elvis died on Aug. 16, 1977 — Rhys Meyers researched the role by watching Elvis documentaries, films and early TV appearances.

Yet Rhys Meyers insists he "didn't try to over-research."

"I tried to take the things that I was closest to in Elvis Presley and use those, make it as organic as possible to my own experiences," Rhys Meyers said. "He was a poor boy from Tupelo, Mississippi; I'm a poor boy from County Cork, Ireland. He bought his mama a house with the first big amount of money that he got, and so did I. He had a lot of insecurities, wasn't liked in school, felt uncomfortable, was a daydreamer — and I had all these things."

In the four-hour miniseries, Rhys Meyers masters the inner Elvis, making palpable the humanity of the icon-in-the-making — from the grinding poverty of his youth and the constant battles between his ambition and insecurity, to the complex relationships with the key people in his life. Those essential figures include father Vernon (Robert Patrick); the overprotective mother he adored, Gladys (Camryn Manheim); his domineering manager, Col. Tom Parker (Randy Quaid); and the young love of his life, Priscilla Beaulieu (Antonia Bernath).

There's plenty of music, of course, from the seminal Sun Records sessions in 1954 to the 1968 special, which ends with a powerhouse re-creation of "If I Can Dream."

Director Sadwith and writer Patrick Sheane Duncan are clearly after something beyond idol worship.

"Elvis" was made with the full cooperation of the Elvis Presley Estate, but it's hardly sugar-coated. It addresses the singer's abuse of prescription drugs (which began during his Army service, when soldiers were given amphetamines to keep them awake on long maneuvers); his casual womanizing, even after he wed the teen-age Priscilla (Rose McGowan cameos as "Viva Las Vegas"-era fling Ann-Margret); and his ultimately corrosive acquiescence to Parker (wonderfully realized by Quaid).

The makeover was so complete it bordered on uncanny. Yet like many people his age, Rhys Meyers' initial impression of Elvis was that of the overweight, jump-suited Las Vegas act who died at age 42.

"Now, of course, I have a huge appreciation," Rhys Meyers said.