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The Kingdom
Directed by: Peter Berg
Starring: Jamie Foxx
Genre:
Action/Adventure
Run Time: 110 min.
Release Date:
September 2007
On The Web:
Official
Site
Teaser:
Movie Trailer
Reviewed by
Byron Merritt |
With U.S. troops still
wading through the mess that is the Middle East “conflict”, director
Peter Berg decided to go topical with THE KINGDOM.
When a bomb explodes in a safe zone of U.S. soldiers and civilians, the
FBI leaves its native soil and heads to Saudi Arabia.
The team is headed by Special Agent-in-Charge Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx,
DREAMGIRLS).
With him comes his three person team, agents Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper,
JARHEAD), Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman,
SMOKIN’ ACES) and the
lovely/deadly Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner).
But once on Saudi sand the team quickly learns that they’re being
shuttered and kept uber-safe by a team of special police headed by
Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom, PARADISE NOW).
Angered for being unable to get into the bomb site, the team eventually
gets Colonel Ghazi to take them into his confidence. Discoveries are
made. Material is excavated. But on the other side danger lurks for
Fleury and his team. Bombers are aware of the FBI’s arrival and want a
high profile target. The agents are targeted and when an explosion rocks
through their security and one of Fleury’s team members is dragged away
(obviously to be executed on tape later), Ghazi and Fleury join forces
and form a bond neither thought possible (one between devout Muslim and
a Christian).
Loaded with action but little plot, the main sequences occur after the
kidnapping of the FBI agent. A series of chase scenes and gun battles
culminate to form the final sections of the movie. Heading deep into
jihadist territory, the audience is treated to some incredible shots
where lives are won and lost on both sides. The ending commentary by
Fleury (Foxx) and a Muslim child left behind is very telling as to what
keeps conflict going from generation to generation.
Not being a huge fan of the action-over-plot films, I found myself
making an exception here for two reasons. First were the action scenes
intense enough to keep my hands clenched for many minutes. I hadn’t
realized how tense I was until my hands started aching. Second is how
relevant this subject is to our current situation in the Persian Gulf.
What exactly is the U.S. plan for the Middle East (plot)?
Needless to say, if you enjoy stories that have an actual point, you
might not care for The Kingdom. But if you’re one of those newfound
movie lovers of style over substance, you’ll enjoy it.
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Image from The Kingdom
DVD cost: $23.99
Purchase:
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Film Review Stew
Favorite? No.
Stew Poo-Poo? No.
Newsworthy:
The end of the movie
dedicates it to Thomas Aguilar, Lance Gunnin and Nick Papac, all crew
members who died during production. Thomas Aguilar (prop maker) died one
week after being admitted to the hospital for stomach pain and
subsequently discovering he had prostate cancer. Lance Gunnin
(construction worker) was killed in a motorcycle accident on his way to
the set and Nick Papac (prop master) died in an on-set collision between
his Gator all-terrain vehicle and an SUV.
Movie Quote: "A
man who can plan mass murder scares me more than anything."
Other Actors/Actresses
from The Kingdom
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