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Plot: A team of U.S. government agents is sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East.
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The Kingdom Recent Reviews
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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 31, 2008
''Which side do you think Allah's on?''
''We are about to find out! ''
A team of U.S. government agents is sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East.
Jamie Foxx: Ronald Fleury
Despite the fact of being nearly two hours in duration, The Kingdom speeds ahead with its tale, not halting for in depth character development or concentrating on the main situations ensuing. This is it's coin like duality quality of being stuck between it's purpose. On one hand, Kingdom keeps an excellent pace.
Begins quite suddenly with a informative history lesson, telling us what the middle east Kingdom is, which I liked I admit, then with a cataclysmic explosion, the unprovoked, unexpected attack on the American residential compound results in being brutal and relentless, not scared of showing images of US children and civilians being fired upon.
Audiences expecting a thoughtful and thorough look at international relations are likely to be pleased in some ways and displeased in others. Kingdom avoids its own questions raised and resorts either to the American investigation team being frustrated over the lack of cooperation they are receiving or switches back to brutal and bloody gunfights that are shot and edited with the speed and accuracy of a quality action flick. This is a movie where the heroes can stumble upon the right clues that lead them to the right answers within a day or two.
The last half hour of the film is an extended action sequence as the Fleury and his team find themselves trying to rescue an ally, and blowing away anything that gets in their sights. The movie's final scene tries to make up for this with a sequence that is supposed to be chilling and make us wonder if the heroes are any different from the villains, but it comes across as being too much in places and somewhat force fed to Audiences.
But there is no doubt some repetitive action sequence of non-stop shooting in the wake of Black Hawk Down does make it seem a little hazy with it's agendas, especially when you have masked up goons taking potshots from every conceivable street corner, that it becomes somewhat like a video game. Those who find no peace with the ''unsteadicam", will naturally hate the way the movie is created, with the constantly shaking camera that, coupled with the rapid fire pace of editing, will induce some nauseating feeling to those with low tolerance to bouncing cameras. But I thought that the narrative justified the use of this technique though, with the characters constantly peering over their shoulders, being in hostile territory, a now frequently adopted technique for filming realisitc action, whether you like it or not.
Jamie Foxx has carved a name with military or action roles before in movies like Stealth, Jarhead or Miami Vice, and in Kingdom, he revisits Saudi Arabia as FBI special agent Ronald Fluery, who has assembled his own renegade team of agents to investigate into the suicide bombing and killings of American citizens living within a safe protected zone. We have Chris Cooper's bomb expert Grant Sykes who's stuck deep in mud, Jason Bateman as IT specialist Adam Leavitt, and the token female around to present challenges to customs and tradition, Jennifer Garner's forensic specialist Janet Mayes. Naturally in the hunt for those responsible for the attacks, they go up against protocol and culture, in the form of their host Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom). But the movie does cast some sympathetic light on Faris, and in a broad stroke, the Saudi Arabians as well, being caught in a situation that they would rather be kept out of.
The Kingdom is a mixed bag. It seems to want to be an important movie that has messages, but at its core, it's a revenge motivated story where guns never stop firing, and heroes can fly in and save the day in the blink of an eye. I loved Kingdom in certain parts for what it was. The violence is brutal without being over done or glorified, and Kingdom at least never talks down to us, probably because it doesn't have time to be given the chance. This is not a bad movie, just not quite the movie I was hoping for considering the theme of the film and the cast involved. The Kingdom is a mostly safe, sanitized package designed to appeal audiences and fans of the action genre. Certainly concludes in making us realize both sides on the conflict, end up wanting the same thing because of all the death and crimson filled hate induced fighting.
All I want and in my opinion after seeing Kingdom, that we need a world free of hate and that we should learn to accept each other and be at peace. -
MCT:July 19, 2008Rated: (R)
Directed by: Peter Berg
Genres: Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense, Drama
Casts : Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman
"Which side do you think Allah's on?"
- Ronald Fleury -
As with any good investigative crime thriller, The Kingdom starts off with a murder. In this case, it's a mass murder when a terrorist bomb is detonated inside a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A special FBI counter-terrorist task force--Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman), surveillance and intelligence; Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), explosives expert; Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), forensics specialist; and team leader Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx)--is ready to put 'boots on sand' to locate the madman behind the bombing. But without support from the U.S. government, Fleury has to negotiate a secret five-day trip in Saudi Arabia on his own. When they finally get there, it isn't much better. They are met with opposition from the Saudi authorities, who are suspicious of the American interlopers and want to solve the crime on their own terms. The team knows they can't do their jobs properly if they can't get any cooperation, but luckily, they find an ally in the Saudi Colonel Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhoum), who helps them navigate royal politics and unlock the secrets of the crime scene. Just as they get close to the perpetrators, the action shifts and suddenly these strangers from different cultures must work together to fight a common foe.
Look, I don't give a shi* about the negative critics about this movie and all the chatter of dislikes. I still think this is a brilliant movie and I like it. I don't give a f*ck that Jamie Foxx is totally bullet proof, still The Kingdom rocks to me. As Jamie Foxx leads his team of experts into blood-spattered territory, it leads to one of the most inspirational action sequence of the year. Director Peter Berg is more than just a face in the crowd since he delivered an excellent mixture of military action, excessive fanatism, and intentionally political relevance.
Jamie Foxx plays the same kind of loving but tough character he has played in the past, so it isn't much of a stretch for the actor. As the remaining two experts on the team, Cooper does a nice job for his role, dissecting the massive bomb site, while Garner plays a forensic specialist, picking shrapnel out of bodies and looking for clues. And when it comes time to kick ass, they all accomplished it very well.
It is obvious why the casts didn't give any memorable performance. Why? Because the storyline and message is too STRONG yet the viewers don't give a damn about what the character did and concern about what is actually going on in the present days.
Inspirational, bold, and factual. Real portrait of the never ending vengeance and hostilities. A real eye opener so I can see it now, how unkind life can be and how this actual war lasts forever. We're all human, and we're all driven by the same things... including, sometimes, tribalism. Berg takes us straight to the heart of the Middle East problem. Though in this movie the good folks may win a small battle, the film builds so much complexity to make it clear there's NO real victory occured.
So it's time to take a step back, take a deep breath, and recognize that.
Aunt: "Tell me, what did your grandfather whisper in your ear before he died?"
Adam Leavitt: "You remember?"
Ronald Fleury: "I told her we were gonna kill 'em all."
15-Year-Old Grandson: "Don't fear them, my child. We are going to kill them all..." -
MCT:June 15, 2008
Adam Leavitt: "Fleury. Tell me what you whispered to Janet, in the briefing, to get her to stop crying about Fran, you know, before all this, before we even got airborne. What'd you say to her?
Aunt: Tell me, what did your grandfather whisper in your ear before he died?
Adam Leavitt: You remember?
Ronald Fleury: I told her we were gonna kill 'em all.
15-Year-Old Grandson: Don't fear them, my child. We are going to kill them all."
The title of Peter Berg's The Kingdom refers to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the world's #1 producer of oil, a commodity that almost every country depend on in fuelling their economy. While there are whispers about the Kingdom's role in today's security climate, it itself is not immune to the violence that extremists dish out (the Riyadh Bombings), and here's where scribe Matthew Michael Carnahan adapts from, and makes it the key catalyst in having an action adventure set in the oil rich sultanate. While his Lions for Lambs was a lame talkie picture painting his current perspective of the war on terror from and on US soil, here he crafts a companion piece for those lusting for action, and the result is an incomparably better film, still political but less full-of-itself.
There are a number of hits, and expected misses to some though, and you can expect to be fairly clear where those misses are. For example, one will certainly frown at the US-of-A being yet again trumpeting their expertise and imposing their will on cultures vastly different, or worse, frowning upon the need to go in with guns blazing, although granted, they didn't shoot first. Some might also want to find fault with the number of clichés commonly found in cop dramas, with policemen from the two countries finding themselves in a clash of culture from the lack of understanding, to finding common ground and similarities through, what else, American pop culture ("Hulk"?). But of course it is almost without a doubt which culture is slowly influencing which, and there's some really well placed irony with cyclic violent attitudes each side has for the other.
And this is one violent film, not that I'm wincing from it. It tries to be as realistic as possible in the deadly deeds of the terrorists, and that includes random drive by shootings, suicide bombers, vehicle bombs, kidnappings, beheadings, you name it, The Kingdom covers it all, showcasing the common modus operandi terrorist group adopt in their violent agenda, all performed with meticulous planning. I've no doubt if this picture was given the 3D treatment just as Beowulf was, you'd find yourself knee deep in a perpetual war zone, and ducking at your seat each time some explosion happened in your face.
Which brings me to the one of the plus points of The Kingdom. While not being an advocate of violence, sometimes you have to dish out eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth when you run out of options, especially when dealing with adversary who don't negotiate and only answer to the law of the gun. And The Kingdom really gets down to the quick and dirty when it calls for killing with extreme prejudice, some scenes which you will do a double take at with its realism. I recall Heat having an excellent urban shoot-out, and the one in The Kingdom could give it a run for its money.
But there is no doubt some repetitive action sequences of non-stop shooting in the veins of Black Hawk Down which does make it seem a bit lazy, especially when you have masked up thugs taking potshots from every conceivable street corner, that it becomes too much like a video game. Those who find no peace with the "unsteadicam", will naturally hate the way the film is shot, with the constantly shaking camera that, coupled with the rapid fire pace of editing, will induce some nauseating feeling to those with low tolerance to bouncing cameras. But I thought that the narrative justified the use of this technique though, with the characters constantly peering over their shoulders, being in hostile territory without knowing who to trust your life with, and without doubt, a now frequently adopted technique for filming "realistic" action, whether you like it or not.
Jamie Foxx has cut his teeth with (para)military roles before in films like Stealth and Jarhead, and here, he revisits Saudi Arabia as FBI special agent Ronald Fluery, who has assembled his own renegade team of agents to investigate into the suicide bombing and killings of American citizens living within a safe protected zone. We have Chris Cooper's (again a return to The Kingdom from his Jarhead days) bomb expert Grant Sykes who's stuck deep in mud, Jason Bateman as IT specialist Adam Leavitt, and the token female around to present challenges to customs and tradition, Jennifer Garner's forensic specialist Janet Mayes. Naturally in the hunt for those responsible for the attacks, they go up against protocol and culture, in the form of their host, Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom, who himself played a terrorist in Paradise Now, and here delivers the film's best performance). The film does cast some sympathetic light on Faris, and in a broad stroke, the Saudi Arabians as well, being caught in a situation that they'd prefer not to be in if given a choice.
So, while it's Follow the Law for some, it's time for the Americans to break certain taboos and persuade their new friends through respect, to allow them to go all the way in their investigations, with a trade off for teaching them a thing or two in Crime Scene Investigations. There are moments where Royalty is shown to be slightly inept though, with interest only to shore up good press and publicity for themselves, and the feud between the police and the National Guard, at first being ramped up, then totally forgotten when it comes to the crunch - yep, the conveniently forgotten backup fire-power to call upon. But you can't deny some scenes which stick to the back of your head, like armoured SUVs cruising the highways at top speed, with an Apache shadowing overhead.
At certain points, the narrative lapses into teasing the possibilities of expanding the film into a commentary on the politicking back on US soil, with agencies at loggerheads with one another, ultimately not getting things done when at a dead-end (hence needing mavericks to have a go at it). It seemed to want to suggest that action should be taken promptly without dragging one's feet to suck up to politicians, but the screentime didn't allow for anything other than a cursory mention at such themes.
But the first few minutes more than won me over. Yes, having an opening that arrests my attention more than does it for me, with its slick documentary feel which provided a quick history of The Kingdom, from the time of its founding to the current climate, and that alone, is well worth the ticket price. Most importantly though, The Kingdom proves that Middle East political dramas don't have to be a sordid affair. They can have simple plots. They can make sense. They can be funny. They can have car chases. And they can still pack a hell of a political punch. It is, however, still an American film, so don't expect a 100% neutral tone. -
MCT:May 19, 2008
The best movie I saw so far this year..thought provoking and haunting story...well done.
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MCT:April 27, 2008not up to the standards of peter berg's smokin' aces because he's tried to put too much of a morality swing into it but this plays along for most of the feature as a religiously instigated whodunnit then suddenly blossoms into an action packed finale. some of the screenplay is muddled, but the actors help it to just about survive the confusion by their strong performances. nobody really shines here but as a joint effort between all concerned an altogether rollercoaster ride of a flick is born. probably not one you'd watch twice though
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MCT:December 1, 2008
The end of this movie os probably one of the most exciting sequences that I've seen in a long while.
Comments
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shortsweet286posted 84 days ago -
I liked this movie, cause it discusses the troubles and diferences between western and estern, the movie has a good action real deaths and explosives pursuits, also a good shooting scenes, altough the movie turns around violence and action it shows a new perspective of the Muslims, cause all the people has a wrong idea on that religion , The character of the Arab military chief represents the right way of Islam, instead the other character the master terrorist mind shows the common opinion about a stupid assassin "muslim", well if you like the action and a good script you might be able to enjoy it!!
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posted 312 days ago -
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This is about an FBI team which is sent into Saudi Arabia aka "The Kingdom," in search of a serial killer...NOT a terrorist...internal Saudi attacks.
Coincidentally I am reading a book titled "The Kingdon" Arabia & the House of Sa'ud" written by Robert Lacey.. AMAAZING book but dated...history from up to and through the late 1980's and the hostage situation dealt with by US Pres. Jimmy Carter.posted 331 days ago -
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