The Kingdom

September 25, 2007

Rated: R Runtime: 110 min Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Peter Berg graduated from the Michael Mann school of direction so it was inevitable that he would one day make a movie in the same guise as Collateral or Heat, and The Kingdom is definitely that film. Berg’s work behind the camera has improved year in year out and in my opinion is one of the more talented visual story tellers around right now… well enough arse kissing let’s get to the film itself.

The Kingdom The movie starts out with a very graphic attack on a housing compound of an oil company in Saudi Arabia, by a terrorist cell. The group infiltrates the high security compound and detonate a bomb during a company softball game killing a couple of dozen people. The news wire lights up and the feds send out their field agents to investigate, along with other first responders (fire, police, emt), which spawns the second assault that kills hundreds. Among the dead is highly decorated agent of the FBI, and best friend of Lead Investigator Ronald Fleury (Foxx). The attack on what some consider sovereign American soil demands governmental intervention, and that happens to be Fleury’s teams specialty.

Certain agency figures that seem to be more concerned with insulting the Saudi’s rather than finding the killers, refuse to send an American presence this close to the attack and leave the investigation to the local Saudi police. Fleury finds a creative way to interject himself and before long he gets the green light to go in and ‘assist’ in the investigation but he’s told in very clear terms he’s not to interfere. Now we all know that’s not going to last and it’s that part of the film that makes it worth seeing.

The supporting cast of Garner, Cooper, Bateman and Jeremy Piven as the representative of the US embassy (stooge), are all really good but my favorite character was played by Ashraf Barhom. Barhom plays Colonel Al-Ghazi the police officer charged with protecting Fleury’s team, but his real orders are to protect the Prince from losing face. The two orders are the key to a social and ethical dilemma that makes him choose between his job and doing what he knows is the right thing to do, regardless of faith or politics. Overall the movie is kind of like a 2 hour episode of CSI: Baghdad with a lesson, but the acting, direction and story make it well worth the 10 bucks you’ll be shelling out to see it.

I will warn you the last 20 minutes are extremely intense, and the way Berg is able to bring the emotional rollercoaster you’re gonna feel to life is nothing short of amazing. I saw the film with a packed house and there wasn’t a person in the entire auditorium that wasn’t speechless. The movie carries a very powerful message, and the ending will drive home an opinion that some people will hate, while others will stand up and cheer.

Posted by J.C. Edwards | Filed Under 5 Stars, Action, Ashraf Barhom, Chris Cooper, Drama, Jamie Foxx, Jason Bateman, Jennifer Garner, R, Theatrical