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The Kingdom

Written by Jeff Hatline

Friday, 28 September 2007

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Chris Cooper
Directed By: Peter Berg
Produced By: Michael Mann, Scott Stuber
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Release Date: September 28th, 2007
MPAA Rating: R for intense sequences of graphic violence and language
Distributors: Universal Pictures

In The Kingdom, Director Peter Berg fairly successfully combines elements of action flick with mystery/suspense film and geopolitical thriller as FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) leads his elite team (Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman) on an investigation of a terrorist attack on Americans that occurred on Saudi Arabian soil.

The action starts off with a massive explosion, as a Western oil-company employee housing compound is the target of a vicious bombing in Riyadh. The attack triggers a political quagmire for both the United States and Saudi Arabia as the U.S. doesn't see the benefit of sending Americans to assist in the investigation because of the fear that it could further increase the already anti-American sentiment while the Saudis would prefer to handle things on their own to show both East and West that they are perfectly capable without American intervention. This is an unacceptable situation for Fleury and his team, who had a friend killed in the attack and are looking for retribution. With the State Department refusing clearance to "put more boots in the sand," Fleury is forced to navigate the political underbelly of Washington to get permission from the Prince himself for just five days "on Mars."

But, after the team arrives, they realize their presence was intended to be little more than ceremonial with the Saudi authorities allowing only limited access to basically look, but don't touch and a U.S. State Department representative (Jeremy Piven) who just wants to put them on the next plane back to Washington. The investigation begins to lead the team deeper into the inter-workings of the terror cell after restrictions are relaxed following a face-to-face with the Prince himself. The Prince gives permission to venture outside the complex as well as the assistance of Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom) of the Saudi police force who is looking to clear his and his department's name since police uniforms were used in the attack. Al Ghazi's character accomplishes the necessary element showing that not all Muslims are America-hating terrorists.

The movie intensifies with a high-speed car chase across the highways and into the shady balconies and backalleys of Riyadh that captures the feeling of being the wrong person in the wrong neighborhood. The jerky handcam filming only intensifies this feeling as The Kingdom concludes with an intense search-and-rescue that features a pinned-down, attacked from all sides shootout, with no backup in sight, scene that was reminiscent of Black Hawk Down.

If you're looking for a realistic portrayal of how the U.S. and Saudi Arabia might really handle an international public relations nightmare, don't expect it here. Instead, you'll get your adrenaline pumping as Jamie Foxx kicks some terrorist ass and even a cameo by Tim McGraw. By the time the end credits roll, you'll realize that even though America and the Middle East are on opposite ends of the cultural spectrum, the people who comprise those cultures really aren't that different at all.

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