Under fire. Under pressure. Out of time.
No training could prepare Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) and his team for the disorienting culture shock they face once inside this scorching foreign land, Byzantine maze of politicians, shop-front terrorists and double-crossing businessmen who traffic in profiteering and exploit any opportunity to grow ever richer, no matter the human cost. Bound by handlers who refuse to play ball with the US, the agents quickly find the local law enforcement more hindrance than help and soon grow uncertain of anybody's allegiance.
But when a sympathetic Saudi police captain helps them navigate Riyadh politics and investigate the true cause of the attack, Fleury finds an unexpected comrade-in-arms. In their lightning fast attempt to crack the case, the partners search leads them straight to the killer's front door. Now in a fight for their own lives, two teams on opposite sides of the war on terror won't stop until vengeance is found in The kingdom.
Special Agent Matti
The kingdom has a good story and a good script but the camera work is crap. The entire film is hand-held like those dodgy documentaries that try to give themselves street cred by waving the camera all over the place. Here's the word: it doesn't. It just pisses you off and makes you glad when the film has ended and you can look at the curtains. Given that "about one-third of the population is susceptible to motion sickness, even during uneventful trips, and another one-third is afflicted when they encounter more extreme conditions, such as air turbulence, bumpy roads, and choppy waters" (PC Today), you would think that filmmakers would avoid upsetting the equilibrium of their audience without good reason. The kingdom is not a good enough reason.
There is some really good shooting, bombing, hitting and bleeding, though.
The crime, thriller movie The kingdom is directed by Peter Berg and stars Chris Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner.
MA 15+ (Strong violence and themes)
109 minutes (1:49 hours)
Film: 4 October 2007
