The Kingdom (2007)

Director:

Peter Berg

Writer (WGA):

Matthew Michael Carnahan (written by)

Release Date:

28 September 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Trust No One

Plot:

A team of U.S. government agents is sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East.

Plot Keywords:

Royalty | Assault Rifle | Gore | Washington D.C. | Car Crash

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Jamie Foxx	...	Ronald Fleury
Chris Cooper	...	Grant Sykes
Jennifer Garner	...	Janet Mayes
Jason Bateman	...	Adam Leavitt
Ashraf Barhom	...	Colonel Faris Al Ghazi
Ali Suliman	...	Sergeant Haytham
Jeremy Piven	...	Damon Schmidt
Richard Jenkins	...	FBI Director James Grace
Tim McGraw	...	Aaron Jackson
Kyle Chandler	...	Francis Manner
Frances Fisher	...	Elaine Flowers
Danny Huston	...	Attorney General Gideon Young
Kelly AuCoin	...	Ellis Leach
Anna Deavere Smith	...	Maricella Canavesio
Minka Kelly	...	Miss Ross

Also Known As:

Operation: Kingdom (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for intense sequences of graphic brutal violence, and for language.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Malaysia:18SG | Germany:16 | USA:R (certificate #43538) | Taiwan:R-12 | Japan:PG-12 | Finland:K-15 | Sweden:15 | Kuwait:(Banned) | Ireland:15A | South Africa:16LV | Philippines:R-13 | Canada:18A (British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Denmark:15 | Netherlands:16 | France:-12 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Alberta) | UK:15 | Australia:MA

Filming Locations:

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Jennifer Garner collapsed on the set in Phoenix twice due to the extremely high temperature, over 115 degrees Fahrenheit.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the attempted car bombing of the convoy, Fleury gets out of the Cadillac and is first seen with a HK G3 rifle, the camera cuts away and when it comes back on Fleury, he is then carrying an HK MP5. The camera cuts again, and when it comes back to Fleury, the G3 rifle is back.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Narrator #1: After capturing most of the Arabian Peninsula with the help of the Wahhabi Islamic warriors, Ibn Saud establishes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "HBO First Look: The Kingdom (#14.23)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Stay (Wasting Time)

Neither here nor there

Peter Berg's "The Kingdom" is a thrilling movie, that's out of the question. The problem is that it doesn't really know whether it primarily wants to be an action movie or a political comment.

It starts out well enough. The gripping opening montage documents the connection between the U.S.A. and Saudi Arabia and sucks you right into the story. The first act plays out as a very good depiction of terror in the middle east. In the second act the movie loses some of its pace and we get to know the characters a bit more. What's really off-putting is that the Americans come across as constantly joking, relaxed, but at the same time totally competent people. It's the old "cowboy"-image Hollywood has always tried to convey in its war movies from the 80's, that should really have been left behind by now. It's not a fatal flaw, but it definitely prevents the movie from becoming more than just an action flick set in the middle east.

This becomes more apparent in the final act, which starts with a car crash and continues with countless shootouts. The movie goes way over the top from this moment on and turns into something Jerry Bruckheimer might have thought up. Technically the action scenes are developed pretty well (I don't share the common criticism of other reviewers that the shaky cam distracted too much. I'm not a fan of it usually, but here it was alright). In its best moments the action looks like something out of "The Bourne Ultimatum", in its worst the movie could be "Shooter".

What separates "The Kingdom" from "Shooter" is its message, though. The very last lines spoken in the movie redeem Berg of a lot of the mindless action that preceded it. After all, the makers apparently did want to make some kind of statement and this last comment really hits home. Other than that you don't find much of a message in "The Kingdom". Just because the movie doesn't glorify the U.S.A. at any point, doesn't exactly make it critical. It's merely neutral, which is more than can be said about most American action movies dealing with terrorism. There is one questionable scene, in which a police man from the middle east and the main character, an FBI agent played by Jamie Foxx, seem to agree that it would be best to simply execute the masterminds behind terroristic acts without asking any further questions. On the other hand, this can just be seen as the realistic depiction of what those characters would feel, because I don't think that either would be a big defender of a terrorist's rights.

In the end "The Kingdom" is a straightforward action flick with enough critical undertones to not be propaganda. It's a very exciting thriller to watch, but except for the final scene there's nothing really thought-provoking here.