The Kingdom (2007) User Reviews

More here than meets the eye - if only the cameraman would let you see it

[Craig_McPherson · 8/10 · 15 September 2007]

If there's one flaw plaguing Peter Berg's The Kingdom, it's that it tries to be all things to all people. OK, maybe not all things as it definitely doesn't try the romance angle. That's not to say The Kingdom isn't a terrific film, because it is. However, it should have been decided at the outset to make this movie either a political or action thriller, and gone with one or the other.

Matthew Michael Carnahan's script starts out hitting all the right action beats as it unfolds with a vicious terrorist attack on a Saudi compound housing employees of an American oil company (the movie draws inspiration from the 2003 compound bombing in Riyadh). From there the movie almost threatens to get bogged down as it shifts focus to the political machinations both hindering and enabling a joint Saudi/FBI investigation. Fortunately, Berg pulls the film out of this quagmire that threatens to put the breaks on the movie almost as surely as the political attempts to nix the joint investigation.

With the political jabber out of the way, The Kingdom gets down to the meat of the script, shifting the Saudi investigation into high gear and refusing to take its foot off the accelerator.

The movie deserves full marks for refusing to dumb down its story and make the Saudis appear as little more than window dressing to a big screen American shoot-'em-up. While Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman all get top billing, the real star of this story is Ashraf Barhom who plays Saudi police Col. Al-Ghazi, a man dedicated to his profession, with an acute sense of fair play, protocol and justice. Al-Ghazi, who was at the scene of the initial attack on the compound, initially plays the role of hamstrung go-between relegated to babysitting and restricting the movements of the FBI at the urging of higher-ups. However, thanks to a fortuitous face-to-face between the American "guests" and a Saudi Prince, Al-Ghazi is given free reign to lead the US investigators as they try to uncover the mastermind behind the attack.

From there, the audience is treated to a top notch story that nicely touches on everything from culture clashes, forensic revelations, kidnapping, religious doctrine, and the self perpetuation of hate, all of which culminates in a final half hour of riveting, vicious, blood spattering action.

I said The Kingdom suffered from one flaw? On second thought, make that two. It's also yet another victim of the hand-held cameraman suffering from Delirium Tremens, complete with blurry and shaky shots that rarely allow the viewer to actually focus on the images being played out. One day Hollywood will learn that this type of cinematography just doesn't cut it. Sadly, this is not that day. That said however, The Kingdom delivers a smart, taught, evenly balanced thriller that easily shapes up as a heavyweight in this year's run for the Oscar.

Much more that a shoot-em'-up, but not for the faint of heart

[scottgoblue314 · 8/10 · 30 September 2007]

I went into this movie hoping it wouldn't be a cheap shot at either the US Government or the people in the Middle East and I wasn't disappointed. The introduction that outlines the history between Saudi Arabia and the United States alone proves as much: no matter how intense that action was (and it was very much so), the movie itself was a fairly level-headed look at the current situation. You are drawn into the action from the very beginning, but from there it does not sink into an FBI team shooting up Saudis. There is actually an INVESTIGATION, with political interests in the background all the while. An excellent action movie with more than a little thought put into it, but not for the faint of heart.

Neither here nor there

[Superunknovvn · 7/10 · 14 October 2007]

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 final lines spoken in the movie redeem Berg of a lot of the mindless action that preceded them. 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.

Inside every big Hollywood movie in an interesting movie trying to get out

[philipmahoney2001 · 6/10 · 11 December 2007]

There is much to like in The Kingdom. Nice performances, a slightly-new take on the buddy-cop story, Jennifer Garner's upper lip, and some excellent action set pieces. However, halfway through watching it, it occurred to me that it would in fact have been a much more interesting film if none of the stars were in it. Which was little odd, because I am very fond indeed of Jennifer Garner's upper lip.

The plot is this: There is a big terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia. Some FBI agents led by Jamie Foxx, fast talk and bamboozle their way into the country to investigate, where they team up with two Saudi cops. There then follows a small amount of detective work, some interesting political manoeuvring and two really rather well-done shoot outs.

Now, I like Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner('s upper lip) who play the FBI agents, and although all three do the best they can with the material they are given, no effort is made to make their characters interesting. What's worse, although they aren't interesting, they are nevertheless vastly superior to everyone else. Thus nearly every single advance in the case is made by these three. They are the ones who solve everything.

The two Saudi cops, on the other hand, are interesting characters. Two good cops working in a corrupt, brutal system. Trying to solve a horrific crime whilst faced with hostility from their fellow officers and political interference from above. What's more, they're human. They have weaknesses and fears. They make mistakes.

And that's what occurred to me. I thought to myself that this film would almost certainly be more interesting and entertaining if the whole idea about the FBI agents had been removed, and instead, we'd just been following the wily but unfailingly polite Colonel Al Ghazi and his loyal sidekick Sergeant Haytham as they tried to solve the crime. Instead, once the FBI turn up, these two get relegated to standing to one side and looking suitably impressed every time one of the names-above-the-title stars does something brilliant.

Right at the start of the film, Jennifer Garner's character (ably assisted by her upper lip) makes a comment about how if the Saudi's allowed the FBI into the country to investigate the crime, it could prove to be enormously destructive. If only the film makers had listened to her.

It's not that the Kingdom is a bad film. In fact, it's actually a rather good film. I just think that if they'd dropped the stars, it could have been much better.

Peter Berg at his best..

[jerrymason-34530 · 6/10 · 13 April 2021]

And that's not a compliment. I don't know what it is about this guy, he either selects really great scripts and ideas and makes them mediocre movies, or picks really mediocre scripts and turns them into the most high budgeted nonsense in film history.

This falls into the former category. And all of his stuff is extremely formulaic, 1. Big event, inciting incident 2. Bad guys, bad bad guys, so bad, little to no motive, just bad guys 3. Enter Good guys, world class skill set, no motives except being good and "protecting the innocent" 4. Words, dialogue, argument, words and more words 5. Super high budget shootout scene(s) 6. Hoards of bad guys die, then the main bad guy dies, as well as at least 1 good guy 7. Cue the feelgood music 8. Roll credits with the obligatory "this is dedicated to someone in Peter's life" message

No arcs, plot takes a back seat to high budget yet still shlocky action.

The Kingdom wanted to be a good movie, but it got Peter Berg. Pure A to B+ list cast should have pushed this over the edge, but it had Peter Berg at the helm.

I like him ok as an actor from the 90s, its nothing personal, I just don't think he's ever made a good movie. Lone survivor included. I have to give this a 6 because I, in good faith, can not put it on the same level as many films to which I give 7's.

A FBI crack team formed by three men and one woman goes to Saudi Arab to investigate a terrorist massacre

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 20 March 2011]

Tense film packs intrigue, action , thrills, suspense and an stirring final . Thrilling and exciting movie about terrorism , foreign policy critical and geopolitical issues . After a terrorist bombing on an USA oil company compound in Saudi Arab caused a slaughter , the FBI chief (Richard Jenkins) against the opinion of the General Prosecutor (Danny Huston) sends some crack agents a dangerous mission .FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) quickly assembles an elite team ( Chris Cooper ,Jennifer Garner , Jason Bateman) and negotiates a secret five-day trip into Saudi Arabia to locate the madmen behind the bombing , not withstanding the protests of slimy diplomat (Jeremy Piven). They are actively involved in discover the terrorist cell , as the Jihadis are executing a massacre , and planning others and eluding authorities for some time . As they enter Saudi Arab the crew meets colonel Faris ( Ashraf ) like-minded partner and together they scheme to solve it . The CIA agents supported by the Saudi Colonel who helps them navigate royal politics and unlock the secrets of the crime scene and the workings of an extremist cell bent on further destruction , all of them plot to chase relentlessly the mastermind terrorist . The group find their expertise worthless without the trust of their Saudi counterparts, who want to locate the terrorist in their homeland on their own terms . However they form a shaky alliance to break the terrorist ring whose objective is the bombing civilian targets .

Story's core is interesting and script is dense with information and use of interesting messages to add weight to drama, furthermore is packed with moving ending scenes as when the team is attacked on the highway and when the crew is led to the killer's front door in a blistering do-or-die confrontation. The ultra-brisk editing and rapid images movement leaves little time to consider some inadequacies. The picture takes parts from ¨Syriana¨ ( by Steven Soderbergh with George Clooney) about the dangerous terrorism Arab ; ¨Black Hawk down¨ (by Ridley Scott) in which US military involved into action on a foreign country ; Spy game ¨(2001, by Tony Scott with Brad Pitt and Robert Redford ) concerning the spy-world and ¨Body of lies ¨ (2008 by Ridley Scott with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe ) about sophisticated methods of the international terrorism . The intrepid Jamie Foxx , the veteran Chris Cooper and the only female Jennifer Garner are good as intelligent , brave super-agents and Jeremy Piven's cool displaying a brief performance. The film contains colorful , glimmer cinematography , predominating of yellow tones , by Mauro Fiore . Rousing and vibrant musical score by Danny Elfman with some Arab overtones. The motion picture is well realized by Peter Berg. Rating : Above average, well worth watching.

Well done, entertaining film, but don't watch if you're a self-professed middle East expert.

[jasarthur · 9/10 · 27 June 2008]

It seems most of the negative comments are from people who think this should be an historically accurate picture of culture and politics in the middle East. That's the wrong approach to take from the start! I know a little more than the average American, being Jewish and having an aunt who taught this subject at the college level, but I didn't sit there taking notes about what was unrealistic like some folks did. And I enjoyed it! Isn't that the point of a movie like this? The story was good, the dialog interesting, the action top-notch, and as an Alias fan, I even get a thrill seeing Jen Garner doing makeup commercials. Hang loose, fellas--this is an action-adventure, not a PBS news documentary.

Interesting until it crashes and burns.

[BroadswordCallinDannyBoy · 6/10 · 30 September 2007]

This film has a great opening act: a terrorist attack on an American housing compound in Saudi Arabia leaves many people, mostly US citizens, dead. The FBI investigates all incidents where US citizens die, but the politics of the Middle East don't make things that simple. The FBI can't just walk into Saudi Arabia, but nonetheless, strings are pulled and the agents arrive to investigate.

The film's second act is also compelling and focuses on more than just the crime at hand. The FBI agents have a Saudi State Police Officer to look after them and they form a certain friendship. They are people who make their life doing the same thing, but they have different ways of doing it and thinking about it. That's what makes the film interesting. The portrayal of the Saudi Arabia also isn't ridiculously demonic and evil as I thought this film might turn out. Ashraf Barhom plays a dedicated and strict man, but he is also likable and his character development is treated just the Jamie Foxx's character. Their relationship in the story exemplifies the two different ways of dealing with the issue at hand. The film isn't very deep, but is definitely better than the typical action movie with a political backdrop and definitely enough to keep the film rolling.

The film's third act begins with a massive car crash and pretty much never recovers. Throughout the film you can see the shaky camera that seems to be popular with many thrillers today, but the third act really does it. The action is so shaky and edited together so fast from so many shots you actually begin to wonder: have they forgot about choreography? Better known as "the arranging of on-screen action so we can actually see what is going on for a couple a seconds at a time." And it is not just the action, but the plot just races toward a quick kill 'em all revenge conclusion that knocks off all the bad guys, has some cheesy moments when a good character dies and leaves you almost in disbelief that the film could wind up here.

There is an interesting irony in the very last scene that asks some questions, but by that point it feels like they were giving so many quick convenient answers that a question seems out of place. --- 6/10

Rated R for violence and profanity. Ages 13+.

Definitely worth going to

[tayinsito · 8/10 · 27 July 2007]

I had the opportunity to view this film a couple of months ago and I almost declined the offer thinking it would be another boring movie about terrorism in the middle east. I'm glad I didn't decline. This film got me hooked from the get go and kept me hook up until the credits. Not a an epic movie by any means but it sure is very entertaining and packed full of action. LOTS OF IT. I know for most action movies, plots and storyline are very weak. I'm not trying to say the story was bad, far from it. The story line was actually very good with strong dialogue and an amazing quote towards the end that really gets you thinking. No spoilers here, just go watch it when it comes out. You won't be disappointed.

Great action Simple police procedural

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 10 October 2013]

Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) leads an FBI team to investigate an attack on an American base in Saudi Arabia. The team is played by Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman.

Peter Berg has made a simple police procedural. There isn't anything too complicated or twisty. The bad guys are bad. The good guys get their men. The locations are well used. It has the feel of the middle east. Obviously nobody could ever film in Saudi Arabia, but it has good use of UAE.

What he does give us is an insight into the this world. It's a world where Americans do not blend, and the natives are suspicious. The action is fast and furious. It's something that Berg has become proficient in. Yet the action isn't so big that it becomes cartoonish. It is exciting to the final conclusion. It's simplicity is both its strength and its weakness. I can't really complain about its clarity, but it does make it feel more pedestrian.

Excellent

[cbuckler · 8/10 · 16 August 2007]

I saw an advanced screening of this movie. The movie is exciting, informative and moving. Just enough action to keep your heart pumping and a great story - I became involved. This movie will show you a slice of life in Saudi Arabia. The characters are real and the struggle to get to the truth is real. The interplay between the Americans and the Saudi troops really shows the differences in our cultures while also showing how police are police and just want the truth no matter where they come from. This movie shows how we should be able to get along if we put religion to one side, but how in the end it is our parents hatred and fear of anything different becomes our own hatred and fear while not knowing the why of it. Hate perpetuates hate and in the end we all suffer.

entertaining and more than an action flick

[antoniotierno · 7/10 · 8 December 2007]

The plot is twisting and the movie overall spectacular, although this Jason Bourne style story cannot be taken too seriously, in my opinion. The director, just to make the product more real and grab the attention, tries to add complexity and depth but the level reminds somehow the one of episodic TV. There are a few surprises, some forensic elements and the flick bears some resemblance to Syriana, that was a well done film. Action is undeniably spectacular but Jennifer Garner is not that believable and conceptual flaws are present in the plot. The finale is tear jerker but makes sense eventually, since it's not so far from reality..

has the makings of something memorable but takes the easy way out

[Special-K88 · 29 October 2007]

When a devastating terrorist attack occurs in Saudi Arabia resulting in the death of an American federal agent and several civilians, the FBI is reluctant to conduct their own investigation from fear of severing international relations with an uncooperative Saudi government. Foxx is the head of the bureau's Rapid Action team; accompanied by fellow agents Cooper (an explosives expert), and Garner (a forensic specialist), he leads an "unofficial" expedition to the site to try and seek out the guilty party. Political thriller has a realistic setup and three capable leads, but unfortunately the film rambles, and reduces itself to a revenge flick on its way to an action-packed climax that feels desperately contrived. The story is interesting but never convincing, especially the ending which is hollow and sentimental. **

Hollywood is brainwashing again

[email-kia · 1/10 · 1 March 2008]

One more time Americans look good and beautiful and Arabs look ugly and vicious.

One more time only few Americans agents fight hundreds of Arabs and of course the "stupid and ugly Arabs" in the movie cannot even succeed with one single shot, but the American agents kill them all!!!

To make the movie politically correct:

* The first 3 minutes of the movie is a brief documentary about US - Saudi Arabia relationship.

* In the end of the movie a reminder about "we kill them = they kill us", just to show you that the movie is not taking any position and it is being objective.

* And not all Arabs are bad, there is one single Arab officer dying while helping the Americans (thank you for being so generous to Arabs)

No illustration, pictures or any kind of views of a normal and peaceful working Muslim families and how many million of them have died directly or indirectly by US military or US supported governments in the region; but extreme horrifying pictures of nice innocent working American families getting ambushed and slaughtered by Arabs.

One more propaganda movie.

Dealing With Malevolence

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 24 October 2007]

If anyone expects from The Kingdom a serious geopolitical study on what American policy should be in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, don't spend your money there. If one is expecting an exciting action thriller in an exotic location, than this is your film.

It fascinates me how some people can never wrap themselves around the concept of pure evil. What we are dealing with is religious fundamentalism, the notion that your religion gives you the right to do all kinds of evil in the name of the Deity you worship. It leads to the justification of evil acts by anyone's standards, somehow whitewashed good because you did them in what you consider a noble cause.

Islamic militants both shoot down and bomb American oil workers in their western sanctuary, leaving dead and wounded in three figures. Saudi politics get in the way of law enforcement, so some extra legal pressure is put on them to send an FBI team to investigate. The team is Jamie Fox, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman.

It becomes a detective story after that until the climax when the militants try to take one of the FBI team and behead him for propaganda purposes. The final shootout in distinctly unfriendly territory where the American team is helped by Saudi cop Ashraf Barhom is well staged and exciting. Barhom, an Israeli actor, has the best performance in the film.

The film was shot in both Phoenix and the United Arab Emirates and captures the flavor and feel of an Islamic society very well. The Kingdom is not anything profound, but can be enjoyed on its own level.

Tough To Enjoy If It Gives You A Headache

[ccthemovieman-1 · 6/10 · 17 June 2008]

I see many people here have complained about the hand-held camera and how it gave them a headache trying to follow all the action on screen. I thought they might be exaggerating.

They weren't.

What good is a film, well-made or poorly-made, if it gives you a headache? This is ridiculous. I totally agree with all the reviewers who were annoyed by this. It took away from any enjoyment I was getting from this movie. Consider yourself very lucky if this film doesn't hurt your eyes and head.

However, you still have one other major hurdle: the story! It starts off fine and even 60 percent through, I had no complaints but once the long rescue scene begins, the credibility of this story goes right down the dumper. This is big-time "Rambo" material in which the good guys hit everything they fire at and the opponents are lucky to put a little nick into our "heroes."

In addition, the good guys have their SUV rolled off on a street going hundred miles an hour, flip over many times and all come out running and just fine. Hardly a bruise on any of them, and certainly nothing to slow any of them down. Come on!! Trust me, it gets worse: Jamie Foxx exchanging machine gun fire with foes about 10 feet away and nobody can hit him! You know.....that sort of thing. Thin little Jennifer Garner making like Lara Croft mowing people down left and right. She gets thrown up against a wall at least times and gets kicked in the ribs, but comes up none the worse for wear each time. Are you getting the picture? It's too bad because it good have been a pretty decent picture.

I liked the premise: some Saudi Arabian terrorist committing mass murder with one horrific bombing scene, and the FBI sending over an elite team to work with the Saudis to capture this Bin Laden-type villain. But, well.....it got Hollywood-ized, if you get my drift, and turned out to be something that would insult the intelligence of most adults. It's strong on action and and special-effects but weak on brains and credibility.

Superb cinematography.

[xray-953-237678 · 7/10 · 30 November 2011]

Great, just great film. Peter Berg delivered a superb film, despite the difficulty of the subject. The angles, the framing, the camera motion, all just great, underlining the gravity of the matter every single moment. There are only two things I'd like to mention: One, the character of Jenifer Garner seemed out of context, since a field agent shouldn't and couldn't be so emotional engaged in the situation, (something that changes in the second half), making her more of a stereotype rather than a flesh and bones person. Again, in the first half only. Two, all the team job didn't seem to matter so much in the end, since coincidences played such an important role in the story. These are two things I consider a script flaw. Regardless, Berg did an excellent job filming the script he had, making us holding our breaths to the very end, the last but not least important part of the story. I reserve the ten stars for the ten greater films of all times and give an 8 plus, due to the weak spots I mention before. Thumbs up for Peter!

Violent, intense but very good

[geneseogirl · 9/10 · 28 June 2007]

I was able to see an advanced screening of this movie. With such an all star cast I thought it had to be good. It didn't disappoint. This movie had you involved from the first couple minutes. It starts out with a very intense and rather violent attack on US citizens in the Middle East. The movie is about terrorists in the Middle East, specifically The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The FBI steps in when US citizens are attacked abroad and Foxx, Cooper, Garner and Bateman play a team of agents sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate the attack. It seems like there was a lot of research for this movie and it is interesting to see the interactions between the US officials and the Saudi officials. There is constant action in this movie that will keep you on the edge of your seat but also emotion (I cried several times). I do have to say though there is a lot of violence, so if you can't handle it don't go. I didn't think the violence was overdone but it was present throughout the movie. That said, this is one of the best action movies I have seen in a while. Go see it, it is awesome on the big screen!

A Noisy Collection of Stereotypes and Prejudice

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 12 April 2008]

After a terrorist attack to an American housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where families and the spy Francis Manner are murdered, FBI agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) blackmails the South Arabian consul to get five days of investigation in the location. He travels with agent Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner) and Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman) to revenge their friend and try to find the responsible for the bombing. The agents find all sorts of difficulties in their investigation, but they are supported by Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom) that advises the team how to act in a hostile environment.

After the promising beginning of "The Kingdom" and with the names of Chris Cooper, Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner in the cast, I was expecting a great movie. Unfortunately the weak and imbecile screenplay discloses only a noisy collection of stereotypes and prejudice through an absurd story. If the FBI was not allowed to investigate the crime scene, "uncle Fran" was certainly a spy not respecting the sovereignty of Saudi Arabia. Further, how can an elite team be composed by agents seeking revenge, not familiarized with the culture of Saudi Arabia, not speaking their language and bringing a woman in their mission? Last but not the least, the excessive shootout and the awful camera are irritating in a certain moment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Reino" ("The Kingdom")

A Nutshell Review: The Kingdom

[DICK STEEL · 8/10 · 16 November 2007]

There are a number of hits, and expected misses to some though, and you can expect to be fairly clear where those misses are. For example, one will certainly frown at the USofA being yet again trumpeting their expertise and imposing their will on cultures vastly different, or worse, frowning upon the need to go in with guns ablazing, although granted, they didn't shoot first. Some might also want to find fault with the number of clichés commonly found in cop dramas, with policemen from the two countries finding themselves in a clash of culture from the lack of understanding, to finding common ground and similarities through, what else, American pop culture. But of course it is almost without a doubt which culture is slowly influencing which, and there's some really well placed irony with cyclic violent attitudes each side has for the other.

And this is one violent film, not that I'm wincing from it. It tries to be as realistic as possible in the deadly deeds of the terrorists, and that includes random drive by shootings, suicide bombers, vehicle bombs, kidnappings, beheadings, you name it, The Kingdom covers it all, showcasing the common modus operandi terrorist group adopt in their violent agenda, all performed with meticulous planning. I've no doubt if this picture is given the 3D treatment just as Beowulf was, you'd find yourself knee deep in a perpetual war zone, and ducking at your seat each time some explosion happens in your face.

Which brings me to the one of the plus points of The Kingdom. While not being an advocate of violence, sometimes you have to dish out eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth when you run out of options, especially when dealing with adversary who don't negotiate and only answer to the law of the gun. And The Kingdom really gets down to the quick and dirty when it calls for killing with extreme prejudice, some scenes which you will do a double take at with its realism. I recall Heat having an excellent urban shootout, and the one in The Kingdom could give it a run for its money.

But there is no doubt some repetitive action sequence of non-stop shooting in the veins of Black Hawk Down (remember those pesky RPGs?) does make it seem a little lazy, especially when you have masked up goons taking potshots from every conceivable street corner, that it becomes too much like a video game. Those who find no peace with the "unsteadicam", will naturally hate the way the movie is filmed, with the constantly shaking camera that, coupled with the rapid fire pace of editing, will induce some nauseating feeling to those with low tolerance to bouncing cameras. But I thought that the narrative justified the use of this technique though, with the characters constantly peering over their shoulders, being in hostile territory without knowing who to trust your life with, and without doubt, a now frequently adopted technique for filming "realisitc" action, whether you like it or not.

Jamie Foxx has cut his teeth with (para)military roles before in movies like Stealth and Jarhead, and here, he revisits Saudi Arabia as FBI special agent Ronald Fluery, who has assembled his own renegade team of agents to investigate into the suicide bombing and killings of American citizens living within a safe protected zone. We have Chris Cooper's (again a return to The Kingdom from his Jarhead days) bomb expert Grant Sykes who's stuck deep in mud, Jason Bateman as IT specialist Adam Leavitt, and the token female around to present challenges to customs and tradition, Jenn ifer Garner's forensic specialist Janet Mayes. Naturally in the hunt for those responsible for the attacks, they go up against protocol and culture, in the form of their host Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom, who himself played a terrorist in Paradise Now). But the movie does cast some sympathetic light on Faris, and in a broad stroke, the Saudi Arabians as well, being caught in a situation that they'd prefer not to be in if given a choice.

So while it's Follow the Law for some, it's time for the Americans to break certain taboos and persuade their new friends through respect, to allow them to go all the way in their investigations, with a trade off for teaching them a thing or two in Crime Scene Investigations. There are moments where Royalty is shown to be slightly inept though, with interest only to shore up good press and publicity for themselves, and the feud between the police and the National Guard, at first being ramped up, then totally forgotten when it comes to the crunch - yep, the conveniently forgotten backup firepower to call upon. But you can't deny some scenes which stick to the back of your head, like armoured SUVs cruising the highways at top speed, with an Apache shadowing overhead.

At certain points, the narrative lapses into teasing the possibilities of expanding the movie into a commentary on the politicking back home on US soil, with agencies at loggerheads with one another, ultimately not getting things done when at a stalemate (hence needing mavericks to have a go at it). It seemed to want to suggest that action should be taken promptly without dragging one's feet to suck up to politicians, but the screen time didn't allow for anything other than a cursory mention at such themes.

But the first few minutes more than won me over. Yes, having an opening that arrests my attention more than does it for me, with its slick documentary feel and animation which provided a quick history of The Kingdom, from the time of its founding to the current climate, and that alone, is well worth the ticket price, every penny of it.

The A Team Goes Arabian

[evanston_dad · 6/10 · 25 January 2008]

This schizophrenic action film can't decide whether it wants to be a solemn lecture about American/Arabian cultural differences or an episode of "The A Team."

Director Peter Berg does an admirable job of maintaining an air of objectivity in this story about a group of American FBI agents who travel to Saudi Arabia to investigate the crime scene of a terrible terrorist attack against the wishes of both American and Saudi authorities. The Americans are portrayed as arrogant bullies, the Saudis as mysterious and uncooperative. The best part of the film are the tiny details thrown in here and there to highlight the cultural animosity -- a black robe thrown over Jennifer Garner's shoulders to hide the tight-fitting tank top she wears to do her forensics work; the Saudi chief of police misunderstanding the American slang Jamie Foxx's character sprinkles throughout his speech; the looks of disdain on the Americans' faces when an entire unit of Saudi police drop to the ground in prayer in the mid-day sun.

The investigation itself never becomes a point of interest in the story; I'm not sure whether this was intentional or not. The final third of the film devolves into a standard action film chase scene with all of the implausibility scenes like that carry with them, and the race to save a fellow FBI agent before a group of terrorists are able to videotape his beheading seems like a cheap and distasteful ploy to build suspense. The final message of the movie, meant to send us away pontificating, no doubt, is that what Americans and Arabs share most in common is a desire to kill one another.

The issues this movie tries to tackle are far too complicated for the lowest-common-denominator treatment they are given here.

Grade: B-

An action movie with a difference....

[Angelus2 · 9/10 · 11 June 2008]

This is a well made and directed action movie which has a difference, it teaches the audience about Muslim values.

As a young Muslim I feel young Muslims are always stereotyped as the 'bad-guy' yet this film shows, the Muslims that are often ignored by the media. Muslims who want to help; integrate.

The plot is simple and is based on a real event.

A terrorist attack on an American base in Suadi Arabia sends FBI agents Foxx, Garner, Cooper and Bateman on a roller coaster ride to find the ones responsible.

The actor who plays Faris in my eyes, holds his own against someone like Foxx who is a fantastic actor.

The action at the end is well worth the wait and will not disappoint.

This film not only entertains the audience but entertains.

Solid glossy thriller but has little going on beyond this (minor spoiler)

[bob the moo · 16 November 2007]

A suicide attack on an American civilian camp in Saudi Arabia is only the precursor to a much large attack on the response units. The Saudi's manage to convince the State Department that a formal US response would only make things worse for them but Agent Ronald Fleury pulls some strings behind the scenes to get himself flown in with a small team. On arrival the political nature of their presence is immediately obvious and the team find themselves in the middle of a strange world where the West is accepted by some but fiercely hated by others.

There is no denying the power of the opening ten minutes of this film. We see suicide bombings daily on the news to the point where the numbers don't seem to hurt anymore but to see the carnage simulated here is disturbing and quite upsetting. However this unsettled me because I was also aware that I was watching an action movie and that I was watching civilians of all ages being murdered for my entertainment. If I overlook my issue with this for the time being I will give the film its due because, when it moves, it moves quickly and efficiently. The final twenty minutes are indeed gripping and exciting and does get the pulse going. Problem is, before then, we are not given a huge amount to be engaged with; OK it does enough to move the film along as a thriller but nothing more than that.

This was my main issue with the film, it at once wants to be an exciting thriller but it also uses the very real carnage and unrest in the Middle East to do it and it wants to say something about that at the same time. In this regard it doesn't really do much. The final scene that parallels US and them is too little too late and would only have been a clever conclusion if it had been something that had been written into the script. I did hope for more because, although very simplistic, the opening credits did a solid potted summary of the political background and the importance of oil in the area – but this was not sustained or built on. Instead the material doesn't have the intelligence and commentary value that it clearly wants to and Berg can only really hint at more.

The cast hold back their performances a bit because I guess they know that it is not just a balls-out action movie but one of relevance. Foxx leads the cast well enough when it comes to being a physical presence but otherwise he just speaks softly to convey menace – not great but serviceable. Garner is so-so at best, not someone I look to for performances and indeed she doesn't deliver a great deal here. Cooper is OK but I felt that Bateman was out of place and perhaps miscast in his role – as well as being the most obvious candidate for something bad happening to him. Barhom was good and worked well with all the A-listers around him. Chlander, Jenkins and Huston were OK faces to add into the mix but Jeremy Piven's turn was just too silly to really fit, it would not have been a big step to have him offering to "hug it out" with the Prince.

Overall then, this is a perfectly serviceable thriller that at times is exciting and gripping. However the attempts at meaning and depth mostly misfire even if the odd touch showed the potential. It is too complex and quickly the film goes for the easy targets of slick action and thrills, shunning the content. The result is an enjoyable film of "CSI: Middle East" but without anything else going on I did find the use of very real issues to be a touch insensitive and a bit difficult to relax into.

Worth a look at , but has its flaws!

[shadowman123 · 7/10 · 22 October 2007]

From the trailers The Kingdom seemed like a movie which was a typical good Americans vs Bad Muslim terrorist style movie , and having said that although I am against Hollywood exploiting this angel to make bucks I thought I would give it shot anyway as I don't mind a action movie. The Kingdom tells the story of an attack on an American housing compound base in The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia and the FBI team sent afterwards to investigate the matter and apprehend the suspect. Its seems like a cross from the opening a bit like Syrianna meets CSI which was okay because it kind of became a thinking person's movie as to who done this?

However problems start of very early in this movie right after the start when the investigation gets under way , as we see it moving at a slow pace and never really heating up to the point where they should . This might be in the name of diplomacy but having seen the recent behaviour of the United States I can comfortably say that diplomacy is the last thing on their mind ! Another thing was that whenever something was a point of interest for the audience , it was only half explained and then cut to another scene straight away which to be honest made it feel messy although you understand that the FBI team is in Saudi Arabia we are reminded but when did that ever bother the U.S. unless their oil supply was to be directly cut off !

Having said that , we did get to see some good acting from Jamie Foxx who really was a good commanding figure as well as Jennifer Garner who did take part in the action. The locations were brilliant as it really did feel that they were in The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia and the attitude from the Saudi Police Force and National Gurad was good if not slightly over done ! The action sequences were all good if not a little toooo Hollywood Style over the top and the I felt the terrorist were a little too clichéd with their rants of Allah-o-Akbar and the way they work. Another good points was that it kept to the point of the movie of tracking a killer and not going as far as exploring the elements behind Islamic fundamentalism which I felt was best left alone.

To conclude The Kingdom could of been one of the best movies in the summer but it seemed just like a really long and badly put together version of 24 ! It had serious potential but it is hampered down by a slow pace that drags on longer than it should do and a script that needed serious refining to it. It seems that the FBI managed to find clues very easily when the film needed to move on and complain about their treatment from the Saudi's when it needed to expand on something. It also changes gears from a CSI type murder mystery to a typical action movie which just makes it feel rushed , sloppy and somewhat chaotic really. I'm not saying it was a complete waste of time but it just felt a little to basic which to me was a disappointment. Just wait for it to hit your local rental shop.

THE KINGDOM : 7.8 OUT 10

THIS FALL LEAVE YOUR WORLD BEHIND , AND ENTER THE KINGDOM!

Hollywood return to steady cam....PLEASE!

[robar-4 · 1/10 · 25 October 2007]

A lot of reviews have already been written about this movie, some good, some bad. However, the comment I wish to make concerns the use of "Wobble Cam" cinematography. This has to be the second worst movie I've ever seen using this technique and it was almost unwatchable. The worst being "Blair Witch" with Paul Greengrass's "Bourne" & "United 93" taking the third and fourth place. "The Kingdom" had some big spectacular action sequences, which should have been good, but the camera-work was so appalling it was hard to see what was going on. Even when the cameraman managed get the action actually in the frame the scenes were cut too short. Why have Hollywood producers and directors chosen to torture their audiences. Maybe a hand held camera can heighten the dramatic atmosphere of certain sequences but why wave the camera around while the characters are talking to each other. Making the audience aware of the camera is pretty stupid technique as it destroys any involvement in the story and characters. Of course bad camera-work can also disguise bad direction, which can sometimes be fixed in editing, however this didn't work for "The Kingdom". What ever happened to Steady cam! ...One Star is too much for this heap of rubbish!