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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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Recent Reviews
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MCT:August 20, 2008Ronald Fleury: Which side do you think Allah's on?
Colonel Faris: We are about to find out!! -
MCT:August 17, 2008
The ending was very intense.
The characters could have had more depth, but the movie did a good job highlighting our relationship and cultural differences with Saudi Arabia. -
MCT:August 17, 2008
Peter Berg's film exists in the real modern world of Arab-U.S. relations - one where car bombs go off on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis, gunfire regularly happens in front of family homes, and Americans and Muslims alike are killed violently when they least expect it. Although the film exists in this world, it is not a political statement, nor an emotional appeal on a human level (though those notes are sporadically struck). It basically boils down to an action-thriller with strong dramatic tendencies, and the cast and their director (of VERY BAD THINGS and THE RUNDOWN) are up to the task. It all starts with a bombing at a sports match, killing 100 U.S. and Muslim citizens (men, women, children) and escalates from there into a hunt for the perpetrators - a collaboration between FBI agents (Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and wisecracking ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT alum Jason Bateman) and Saudi officials who want to cooperate. Foxx strikes up a rapport with the head Saudi officer in charge, and there's real chemistry between them. The film is fast paced for a near two hour action drama, and the screenplay by Michael Carnahan (he also wrote Robert Redford's LIONS FOR LAMBS, a genuine political thriller in the same season) is not full of lame cliches and annoyingly clipped testosterone-speak (at least not all the time). This makes for intelligent and enjoyable, if not too thought-provoking, fare ending with a chilling juxtaposition, and a disturbing (though seemingly benign) final image.
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MCT:August 15, 2008
I thought it was going to suck, but a solid action flick that tries to capture on the modern warfare asthetic in the Middle East, which is a risk, and it might be why the movie did not do well at the box office.
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MCT:August 12, 2008
A team of U.S. government agents is sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East. This film was good, but it could of been made better. I mean, the acting was great, the directing by Peter Berg was good and the action scenes were amazing, but it just should of had a bit more action instead of talking in it. Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner's role as the special agents of the FBI were amazing. I really enjoyed this film.
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MCT:August 11, 2008A much more serious film than expected, with realistic action and effects. The story was a little boring, but did cover a storyline not often covered.
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MCT:August 10, 2008This was the best movie! I had no idea just how they would play it, at the time of it all. Watch it it was great!!!
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MCT:August 10, 2008
A better than average detective and political thriller. Everything moves so much and so fast that the movie seems both gutsy and brainy. But the main strategy is to keep viewers' pulses racing so they concentrate on the action, not the message.
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MCT:August 8, 2008
All right action thriller. The story begins with a bomb blast in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which was targeted on American citizens in Riyadh. The bomb kills various people, and our American (super) heroes from FBI travels to Riyadh to help their Arabic colleagues. The Arabic colleagues are off course hopeless non-engaging with almost no competence in investigation, and in such case, our great American heroes helps them with great efforts!! Such patriotic scripts are simply boring, and this also the rating of the movie, which of course could have been better without such patriotic clichés.
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MCT:August 7, 2008In the aftermath of a terrorist attack on an American civilian compound in Saudi Arabia, Jamie Foxx and his team of FBI investigators invite themselves over to solve the crime. What we have here is your typical stranger in a strange land cop film relocated to the middle east. The CSI style investigators wobbly cam their way through the story bringing enlightenment to the ignorant, backward Saudis and deal out swift justice, American style ie blow the shit out of everybody with a towel on their head. I'm sorry, but this was the biggest load of simplistic, patronizing gung ho bullshit I've seen this side of a Rambo film, and dressing it up in pseudo-documentary cinematography does not change the fact. It makes no attempt to show the motivations or culture of the Saudis and even the US contingent are vacuous stereotypes doling out some pretty ugly violence (some of the most distasteful of which is perpetrated by Jennifer Garner of all people.) Instead of genuine depth it prefers cheeseball close ups of children's faces to sappy music and the "message" at the end is laughable. The action is efficiently directed, but as a whole it's pretentious trash that reminded me of a straight-faced live action version of Team America: World Police.
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MCT:August 5, 2008
Intense, powerful and gripping. This film takes you on a journey of justice, vengeance and fear. Strong performances by most of the cast and just enough comic relief to not deter from the serious issues being portrayed. Loved the camera work and cinematography, however the dialogue was a little hard to follow at times. I'm not too sure about the film's message, but the ending is well executed.
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MCT:August 3, 2008
It was good. At times it felt a little bit like military/war in iraq propaganda but i like the ending very much
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MCT:July 31, 2008
An action packed movie that has the ability to remind you what we are fighting for. It has an interesting look into the Muslim Culture and finds a line of peace between the two countries and reminds of us the terrorist within them.
Good actors, good plot, awesome storyline. It starts out a little slow and seems like it might remain that way the entire movie, but be patient and understand it's preparing you for a strong finish. -
MCT:July 31, 2008
This isn't what the promotional material would let you believe it is. It's actually more of a police procedural with some action in the beginning and the end. The beginning has a very brutaly terrorist attack. And it actually isnt anti Saudi. There are a decent amount of good Saudi guys, mainly the one helping them. The performances arent award winning but they arent bad either. The action is very well done. And the I'm not even sure they used shaky cam like some said. It is a really good movie.
8.5 out of 10. -
MCT:July 29, 2008
"I know you want him caught. We want him caught. So let us help you. America's not perfect, not at all, I'll be the first to say that, but we are good at this. Allow us to help your men go catch this criminal."
2007 was ostensibly a crucial year for politically-charged movies. In addition to The Kingdom, audiences also witnessed such releases as Lions for Lambs, Rendition and In the Valley of Elah. It appears like a moderately insensitive move to generate box office profits from movies that address politics and tragedies in the form of popcorn cinema. In 2006, Paul Greengrass' United 93 was an example of a film that was made to tell a very powerful, uncompromising story without caring about the box office. 2007's Lions for Lambs was produced to broaden awareness of the political situation surrounding Iraq. They did this by plaguing the audience with endless dialogue for 90 long minutes. It was too disjointed to make a political statement and too boring to be an entertainment piece. The screenplay for The Kingdom was penned by Matthew Carnahan who also wrote Lions for Lambs. However, this film dials down the politics while enhancing the mayhem and action. The same principal still stands: the filmmakers were creating a popcorn flick with political messages for money. But unlike the boring Lions for Lambs, Peter Berg's The Kingdom is at least a solid slam-bang action thriller.
The genuinely captivating opening credits sequence informs the viewer of the story so far. It summarises the history of Saudi Arabia, the oil situation and the relationship with the United States. From there, the film is blessed with an incredibly tense and jaw-dropping scene that fundamentally sets up the plot. We are taken to a housing complex in the Saudi capital Riyadh where the residents are enjoying a pleasant game of softball with a summer BBQ. But chaos is the consequence when this location is utilised for a terrorist attack. While some civilians are senselessly gunned down, others are blown to pieces by a suicide bomber. Later that day, the FBI's lead agent in the country is annihilated in the aftershock.
When the FBI commences their investigation, Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) has the unenviable assignment of bringing the terrorists to justice for the deaths of the several American civilians that were killed in the terrorist attack. Soon Fleury is on his way to Riyadh with his investigation team in tow that consists of Special Agents Janet Mayes (Garner), Adam Leavitt (Bateman), and explosives expert Grant Sykes (Cooper). Upon arrival, their investigation is hindered by the Saudis. Fleury and his companions are nothing more than spectators who watch as the Saudi officials inadvertently contaminate the crime scene and neglect imperative evidence. They live and sleep in a gymnasium under lock and key. Even the US Embassy wants them on a plane and back home as hastily as possible. Fleury becomes fed up, and conducts more wheeling and dealing. The Saudi royals eventually give him the green light to take control the investigation. At this point the film turns into CSI: Saudi Arabia (as several critics have expressed). Fleury has only a few days for he and his team to solve the case.
The Kingdom is distinctively separated into three different genres. The opening terrorist attack establishes the film as a tense political thriller in the vein of Lions for Lambs. This first act also deals with political manoeuvring. Over into the second act, the genre switches to your typical investigative crime drama similar to CSI while the third act transforms proceedings into an explosive action film. Unfortunately, the film isn't as profound as it desires to be. It overshadows the political message with plenty of violent action. As a plus, it's at least profoundly fantastic entertainment. The Kingdom is also intensely pro-American. The central protagonists are chiefly Americans who excel in their area of expertise. It also seems to promote the message that Americans...only Americans...can perform a successful investigation such as the one at hand. While some heroic characters are Saudis, they are shown through painful stereotypes. Nevertheless, some cultural aspects that are depicted are quite memorable. When Garner's Janet Mayes is performing an autopsy she is not allowed to touch the body of a Muslim. The racial prejudice also grows more palpable during a scene when a civilian acts hostile around Saudi officials. The filmmakers at least drive this political message home: that after the 9/11 attacks, racial prejudice towards Muslims, etc, has increased.
Director Peter Berg has had little experience behind the camera. Before The Kingdom, he was probably best known for his efforts behind the camera for The Rundown and Friday Night Lights. Teaming up with producer Michael Mann, the filmmakers have adopted cinematography that essentially mirrors digital video shot with a typical home video camera. However, an enormous downfall is present in the cinematography: the tradition of shaky cam mixed with fast editing. Not only is this employed for action to "enhance the realism and get an audience engaged" (as the aim of the technique appears to be), but it's heavily utilised during straightforward dialogue as well. At times you can't figure out what is occurring without receiving a migraine. No longer is this idea novel and original. By dumping the technique and adopting the old school approach to action scenes, then it would be innovative. Camera technique concerns aside, the film's two key action sequences are absolutely mind-blowing to watch. Tension is effectively built, and the level of violence hits home greatly. The action scenes are also fast-paced and sometimes there are creative approaches to filming certain shots.
The Kingdom is occasionally extremely riveting due to the impeccable mix of versatile actors in the lead roles. Jamie Foxx is a moderately convincing protagonist. His performance here is far superior to his prior performance in Miami Vice. Chris Cooper appears to be the star of the show as Grant Sykes. Jennifer Garner appears to offer nothing more than a series of pouts, while Jason Bateman contributes a series of wisecracks. The actors portraying the Saudi officials are also worth mentioning. They add a realistic edge to the production while still presenting the audience with a pile of endless stereotypes. The acting is occasionally convincing and first-rate, with plenty of emotional power infused in their performances. There are also occasions when the actors appear quite baffled, like Garner when she raises a firearm. Certainly, room for improvement in the acting is desired - nonetheless, there are several fine acting moments.
Overall, The Kingdom succeeds in its goal of achieving an action blockbuster with moments of intense political drama tossed into the mix. Many have labelled the film as a jingoistic piece of cinema, and it's hard to disagree. The Americans are depicted as the heroes who excel flawlessly in their profession, while the terrorists are obviously the bad guys because they do bad things and we want to see their blood being spilt. Moralistically speaking the film is a travesty: an overblown action film that takes advantage of our current global fears. It's sometimes very scary and thought-provoking. On occasion the image of a Saudi speaking their native language is terrifying purely due to the stereotypes. However, if you ignore the politics and the sometimes offensive stereotypes you'll find The Kingdom to be an impressive mix of action and thrills. -
MCT:July 27, 2008
I dont like to watch too many movies where i dont even like the actors or actresses very much. But this movie interested me and I'm glad i watched it. Had some decent action in it and pretty good story line.
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MCT:July 25, 2008
This movie is watchable, I have seen much worse. It is just that it tries to tackle real heavy themes, yet still be populist. The story idea is pretty good, and it has some great action scenes, but overall it kind of falls flat. My main problems happen somewhere between Jamie Foxx in general, Jason Bateman's one-liners, and Jennifer Garner running around Saudi Arabia with a tank top on, after almost every Saudi (good & bad) asks her to cover up. Is that some sort of statment by the filmmakers? Because if a tribesman from the jungle visited your hometown with their junk hanging out, some people would have a problem with that. Its called respecting the culture you are in. Which this movie tries to do with Saudi Arabia (re: they're not all bad guys) but basically tends to play them as backward yokels or evil incarnate... There are a lot of scenes that seem to be only there to show how alien the Muslim world is... yawn. Walking a line between socially conscious and John Wayne is a hard one, maybe next time.
p.s Chris Cooper rules as usual.
Jamie Foxx: "That's my shit."
Saudi police Colonel: [confused] "You need bathroom? " -
MCT:July 25, 2008
Totally brilliant! Good story line good actors and cool stunts. Garner is brilliant and Fox well you just see the fatherly side of him he's brilliant the line up to the end is the best part of the film.
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MCT:July 24, 2008
Good film with varied viewpoints of of the western and eastern world. Lesson learned from this film...maybe in the end of it all..."an eye for an eye may leave the whole world blind."
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MCT:July 23, 2008The action in this movie was amazing, and it addresses how the dogmatic views of our different cultures are the core of the hatred between the civilizations. The end of the film was pretty powerful in my opinion.
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MCT:July 21, 2008
This was quite a strong film. It reminded me of a Middle Eastern C.S.I. in parts. The beginning begins with a bang in the "Kingdom" which seems to be a Saudi Arabian version of suburban track homes for Americans living within their desert lands. Cut to the U.S. and we meet all the main characters who are F.B.I. investigators played by Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman and Chris Cooper who are all the top of their acting game. We find out that these investigators are not suppose to be over their and we they arrive they learn that their time is even more limited than they were told. So the clock is ticking and they have little to no assistance with their investigation. The local men who are assigned to protect thsi team eventually turn out to be of great assistance. We learn of these locals so as to understand that their are good people on both sides to this world. Jeremy Piven (one of my favorite actors) stars as a government man who works alongside the Middle Eastern Prince. Piven is both comic relief while also being the fast talking American who wants this team to look good and respectful but to get out as soon as possible. Jamie Foxx was the best I'd seen him in quite a while. Overall, this was a very classy production of beaurucratic red tape, terrorism and team-work. A well done film indeed.
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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:July 18, 2008
after minute :
A weak bomb at the opening and a super-great bomb at the ending .The review Setting :
"Wow! Middle East, sensitive theme ,huh?" That was my first impression . But , the dry too ''yellow'' Middle East theme really disturb me , honestly .
Cinematography :
Half-nice , sometimes they made the cinematography just like a documentary movie , in fact this movie isn't a documentary one . But, it's a lot more better than stupid soap opera cinematography and even it doesn't have a unique cinematography , it already enjoyable enough .
Story :
It opened with tragedy and ended with tragedy . From first until half of the movie really made me sleepy and lost the continuing of the first tense but at the half the tense really changed a lot ( i can say it's from 1 to 10) and this become really entertaining . They combined the political issue , religion fanatic , military war and of course big explotions .
Casting :
Only two people really sticked out here . First is Jamie Foxx and second is Jennifer Garner . Well , i knew that the whole military things controlled the story and all the not-so-recognizable people will be left behind automatically . But , Jamie Foxx is A THING , he's one of the biggest ''soul'' in this movie .
Overall :
Nice movie with super-great theme and not-so-attractive serving for under-age & not-so-concerned with politic people. -
MCT:July 17, 2008
Better than I thought it would be. Jamie Foxx did a wonderful job. Good movie, good message. The hate runs both ways.
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Comments
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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 226 days ago -
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liked the movie, not sure what else to say about it other than i like some of the action in the film. not much for action, but know that i do like to see it again...
posted 251 days ago
