Three Kings

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Three Kings

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Three Kings

George Clooney, Ice Cube, Jamie Kennedy, Judy Greer, Mark Wahlberg, Spike Jonze

In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, 4 soldiers set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait, but they discover people who desperately need their help.

Id: 10958744

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Three Kings Recent Reviews
  • SirPant
    September 22, 2009
    SirPant
    Take it or leave it, for all its good sentiments there is always a contradiction around the corner.
  • danperry17
    March 8, 2009
    danperry17
    A great action movie, just dramatic enough, with comedic parts that are actually funny and honest socially conscious moments: a rarity in the genre. The cinematography is inventive and intense, and the acting is alright - this is what Kelly's Heroes should have been. The subplots...( read more) are stealthily set up, and before you know it, you have a reason to watch all the characters, and you care what happens to them too as the plotlines all get more and more exciting. Despite a plot full of anti-heroes, Three Kings is far from anti-climactic, and is one of the least conventional and most entertaining action movies I've seen in a long time.
  • FangsFirst
    December 8, 2008
    FangsFirst
    When I still believed in such things, I watched this a while ago on some movie channel as a "guilty pleasure," but found myself completely sucked in. Later, when the director of all plays at my high school endorsed it without provocation (she typically a fan of, say, Bogart, but ...( read more)having, I later learned, a strong appreciation of the action-type film) I slid back that wall of defensiveness, until it was completely eroded by my eventual refusal of the idea of a "guilty pleasure." I refuse to believe in feeling guilty for anything that causes pleasure unless it's something one should feel guilty for doing in the first place (so if you enjoy torturing people, you still have a guilty pleasure, sorry--you psychotic freak).

    The United States Army is celebrating its "victory" in Iraq after the ceasefire signed at the end of Operation Desert Storm, a tent filled with illicit alcohol and "party music" where Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) and Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze, no, really, THAT Spike Jonze) are amongst the revelers, until both their party and that of Archie Gates (George Clooney)--whose party involves banging reporter Cathy Daitch (Judy Greer) noisily--are ended in embarassment and threat by commanding officers. On duty the next day, Barlow and Conrad are taking members of Hussein's army prisoner, stripping them to guarantee the absence of weaponry, when one man's pants are dropped to reveal a document hidden where the sun-don't-shine. Barlow commands the nauseated Conrad to remove it and they sneak off to a tent with Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) to discuss what it could mean. They're convinced that it displays a bunker of some kind, and rumours slide through the camp about their find, leading back to Archie Gates. Gates decides to take command of their operation, and they determine that the mapped bunkers contain stolen Kuwaiti gold, which they plan to take (feeling morally justified in stealing from Hussein) in a hastily assembled plan. Their only other compatriot is Walter Wogaman (Jamie Kennedy), who is assigned to derail reporter Adriana Cruz' (Nora Dunn) attempts to follow Gates (who is intended as her escort). All goes according to plan until Gates finds it impossible to ignore the plight of the Iraqis attempting to rebel without the assistance of the United States military and decides to fight back while taking the gold. Everything goes to hell when that happens, with too many goals to balance them properly leading to an absolutely FUBAR mission that was illegal in the first place.

    If one looks at the surface of this film (trailers, cover and poster art, stars, etc) one is inclined to believe it's going to be a clumsy action picture treading on dangerous and uncomfortable ground by discussing something like Iraq. In watching, one finds that it plays with many of the clichés and expectations involved, enjoying and displaying some, condemning others, but most enjoyably sarcastically lampooning some in a wonderfully strong, full injection of rather black humour. Jonze (shockingly, really) plays a stereotypical redneck who joined the Army to see "action," and later agrees without thought that his job is to kill "all Arabs"--not angrily or aggressively, but floating along with his distorted and world-less view. Elgin educates Conrad, though, in the finer points of "acceptable epithets" to launch at the Iraqis they ARE there to stop (which are the ones that apply only to them and are not derivative of African-American epithets). It's a nice nod to the absence of "political correctness" in most blue-collar type circles, but without happily endorsing it either, instead choosing to leave the natural probable racism in place but undermine it with the clear hypocrisy. Barlow is a naïve but well-meaning soul, a lot more aware and intelligent than his friend Conrad, but convinced that the Army is there to free Kuwaitis and do something good, despite the evidence thrown in his face by Iraqi Captain Said (Saïd Taghamoui). Conrad and Elgin also get a few notes on the subject of the ridiculous occupation, as Gates (the most worldly of the group) is confronted with the same knowledge, which he has been carefully ignoring to continue to survive and operate inside the strict rules he has chosen by occupation when they meet up with a rebel (Cliff Curtis) being tortured by the Iraqi government.

    Director David O. Russell, who also screenwrote the film, makes many interesting choices (noted prior to the film's playing on the DVD) in terms of colour filtering and playing with things like speedup and slow motion, though he thankfully does the last in a more unusual (though, as there seems to be little left to do that isn't, still not 100% original) fashion with a sort of low frame rate grain, usually in place with the movement of bullets to both trace and emphasize their effect (quite successfully). It doesn't feel like careful stylization to look "bad ass" so much as like Russell made choices to tell things in a way that made them more clear. When violence is fairly commonplace in film, it becomes more and more difficult to build importance into violent acts occurring against characters we have not had time to get to know. Interesting internal shots and discussion of the effect of bullets on the human body are interesting to see and bring one note of as-yet-unseen interest to the scenes of action. Most importantly, Russell gets a good performance out of Ice Cube, who can be quite good (Boyz N the Hood) or mind-numbingly awful (Ghosts of Mars--and I LIKE Ghosts of Mars).

    This is an excellent film in the action sense and has a wonderfully acerbic wit to it, a greater sense of humour than one normally finds paired with such rather intelligent discussion of the faults of modern warfare, which seems less interested in saving people and more interested in purely theoretical politics and boundary discussion. Highly recommended, I'd say--keep an open mind and look at something a little differently. It addresses the morality of war without getting preachy and takes jabs at the aforementioned amoral approach to conflict without drawing anyone to firmly as "good" or "bad."
  • mrpopcorn
    August 27, 2008
    mrpopcorn
    This is quite simply the best anti-war movie since Catch 22. Wild, whacko, irreverent, chaotic, you are never sure what will happen next or where your loyalties lie. The innate utter stupidity of war is beautifully exposed, as are the often all too ordinary motivations of those w...( read more)ho participate in it - lust for adventure, fame, promotion, wealth, but also sudden compassion, honesty and reflection. A roller coaster ride of action and thrills with sudden counterpoints of instant horror that make you think and ashamed of yourself for laughing out loud just a moment before. If this doesn't shake some holy beliefs in the truth of what we are told, and the justification for what we are doing, nothing will. 4.5
  • thmtsang
    June 15, 2008
    thmtsang
    Based on true story, this is an action movie about three soldiers who seek treasure for themselves at the end of the Gulf war. But they are torn between their own gain and saving refugees. Lots of action and good soundtrack.
  • molasseshunginrent
    December 6, 2009
    molasseshunginrent
    I remember really liking this movie when I was younger.
  • julie43ky
    December 3, 2009
    julie43ky
    The humor and realistic scenes are the best I've seen in a while. These actors work great together. Another movie where sacrifice is the key....
  • doctordoom
    November 26, 2009
    doctordoom
    This is a movie set in the 90's during the Gulf war. Three American soldiers set out to get some Kuwait gold that was stolen. Along the way they test their friendships and encounter trouble. The movie stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube. A solid movie. I expected som...( read more)ething more from the hype around it. But still decent. Full of humour, action and drama. Worth at least a one time watch.
  • 21rclemente
    November 15, 2009
    21rclemente
    I watched it once and was diappointed at the outcome. Good fight sequences but the story needs to be altered
  • michaelcorleone
    November 13, 2009
    michaelcorleone
    An exciting, surprising film that meshes tone and genre in a way I've never seen. Skillfully directed by David O. Russell, it is an intensely stylized film that works on a lot of levels. Great writing and mostly excellent performances in a film that exercises its vision while mak...( read more)ing barely any compromises. It's rare to see a movie this unique come out of commercial Hollywood. Highly recommended.
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