C. B. Wolf sent in this look at THE KINGDOM, the new film from Peter Berg.
Berg directed FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and THE RUNDOWN (which I loved...The Rock being violated by jungle monkeys is sublime). THE KINGDOM is produced by Michael Mann. yeah, that Michael Mann.
An interesting combination to be sure. Hopefully they can pull this off...which C.B. Wolf says they do...to some extent, at least...
Here's C.B. Wolf...
The Kingdom is the story of a small team of FBI agents who make their way to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia after terrorists bomb a walled community of American oil workers. The americans are played by Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman. This crack FBI team flies in against the wishes of some politicians because of personal relationships with a victim of the blast. They are not welcomed by the local Saudis and put themselves in severe danger while trying to track down the terrorist cell responsible. Peter Berg directs, and Danny Elfman provides the tunes for the film.
I acquired myself a couple of tickets for an advanced screening and decided to go largely because it was free and I had no other plans that night. The synopsis seemed to describe the same sort terrorist attack, FBI to the rescue plot I have gotten used to hating lately. I figured I was in for a movie saturated with the typical over-zealous conservative propaganda frequently mislabeled as patriotism. However, by the time the credits rolled I was surprised to find a soberingly well balanced film with a profound finish that hit me like a ton of bricks. My jaw is still sore from when it hit the floor, and I would gladly recommend the movie.
Before I delve into anything deeper, I'd like to point out that the production values on this film were top notch. This was a smooth high calibur film from start to finish, with talented people working in every aspect of the filming. There were really no major complaints about the directing, writing, acting, sound, cinematography, etc.
I've never seen a Peter Berg film before, but after seeing The Kingdom he is definitely some one I will look out for in the future. He has a deft eye for what makes a movie work, especially action sequences, and every dynamic of the film was well shot and executed. Berg showed an uncanny ability to horrify me in one moment, and make me laugh the next. He might pump me up with some badass action scene even as a I feel guilty for not properly appreciating the weight of the situation. In short, the movie took me for a ride and I enjoyed it.
Of course, it helped that the acting was spot on. Jamie Foxx has proven time and time again that he is an excellent actor, and he does not disappoint here. Cast as his usual (as of late) tough guy leader with a heart of gold, Foxx brings exactly what you expect to the table. Frankly, I preferred his awkward underdog in Collateral, but this is not a complaint so much as an observation. His performance was unsurprising, but it wasn't disappointing for a moment. Chris Cooper meanwhile continues to impress me with every I see him in. The man is an excellent actor and while he was not stretched much by this role, the depth he brings to every part he plays is undeniable. Jennifer Garner has never impressed me before, but she turns in solid work here, and Jason Bateman was a pleasant surprise as the reluctant forth man on the team. Maybe it is just the soft spot I have for anyone involved with Arrested Development, but I thought he did very nice work. The lesser knowns of the cast all did wonderful jobs as well, in particular the man who played the Saudi head of police working with the FBI team. He was a complicated and interesting character who was portrayed very well, although I sadly missed the name of the actor. My apologies for that.
A final shout out has to go to Danny Elfman who I have had an unnatural obsession with since Nightmare Before Christmas. He did not disappoint me and most of the really effective scenes in the movie would not have been what they were without his music underneath. As I said, the production values here are top notch.
But I hear you asking, what was bad about the movie? Well, my biggest problem with the film was definitely the portrayal of the American characters versus the Saudis. I said the movie was well balanced, and I'll get to that later, but there was definitely a lot of ridiculous pro-americanism. Now, I have no idea what the situation is really like in Saudi Arabia, but the police and military seemed impossibly incompetent, while the crack FBI team lent insight that was almost magical. The bomb detonator? The four FBI agents found it after 20 minutes at ground zero, but the dozens and dozens of Saudis there for days missed it. Talk to the witnesses? Saudis don't do that I guess, they just beat their own police men for information. While it was repeatedly established that the Saudi government wanted to catch the terrorists responsible, it frequently seemed like the only reasonable explanation was that they were purposefully impeding the investigation (without bothering to cover anything up so the Americans wouldn't find it). This departure from realism of course carried over into the climactic action scene where five good guys manage to kill some forty or so heavily armed bad guys. I'm afraid kevlar and good tactics are no reasonable explanation, and some serious suspension of disbelief is required.
That said, scenes like this were interspersed with touching human moments that magnificently illustrated the point that Americans and Saudis are both ultimately just people, people with families who make mistakes and are just doing their best. The combination of the US IS AWESOME scenes and the "We're All Just People" scenes, made the movie seem schizophrenic at times. In one instant I am watching a touching personal moment between the Saudi sergeant and his father, and in the next Jamie Foxx is telling his son about how he is off to "kill the bad guys."
While I tried to just leave the politics at the door and enjoy the movie, it was hard to ignore such drastic shifts. Then, after a roller coaster ride of action, intrigue, and emotion, the movie wrapped up, and completely justified itself in literally the last 60 seconds. I don't that I've ever experienced that before. One moment the movie is an entertaining piece that sits a little weird with you, and then suddenly it is bordering on brilliant. I don't want to over hype this, but it literally left me speechless for a moment or two, and I would wholeheartedly recommend the movie. Go see it with an open mind, don't think too much about what I said, and just let it hit you.
