| THE KINGDOM |
 2007 - FranceDirector: Peter Berg
- Reviewed by Jennifer
The movie begins with the devastating bombing of an American housing area in Saudi Arabia. Though economic relations are great between the two countries, there are many Saudis who don't appreciate the Western influence. Unfortunately, it's the terrorist groups who make their displeasure known, and their m.o. is extreme violence. News of the attack is particularly distressing to a team of FBI investigators who lose a colleague in the blast. Fueled by frustration and sadness, they begin to question why the FBI isn't involved in an investigation. I'm not sure they actually expected to pile in a car, hop on a plane, and high tail it to Saudi Arabia, but this is exactly what happens after they voice their concerns. Upon arriving in Saudi Arabia, Grant (Chris Cooper), Ronald (Jamie Foxx), Adam (Jason Bateman), and Janet (Jennifer Garner) are taken by motorcade (at speeds of 100+ MPH) to their specially designated accommodations. Since the government is ensuring their safety, you might expect something fairly swanky, but no, the team is ushered into a gymnasium where a few cots have been set up, and the door is locked behind them. It's immediately clear that this FBI investigation is going to be seriously hampered by Saudi officials. Though Colonel Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom) is assigned to act as a guide and an ally to the team, they are met with considerable resistance. The Saudis don't want to work with Janet because she's a woman, and access to the crime scene itself is limited. The FBI agents make a few useful discoveries by the end of their stay, but it's hard to feel that the mission was anything other than futile. By the time they begin their return journey, they're just relieved to be leaving, and as they chat and joke in their SUV, it feels for all the world as if the movie is over. You're left wondering why you tried so hard to learn who was who and what was where if it was all for nothing, and then BAM! There's a spectacularly horrible crash, and suddenly the movie is on its feet again—not just plodding along like before, but unfolding at a full run. Holy crap! The film's finale more than compensates for any earlier floundering, and by the time the credits roll, you're practically as winded and worn out as the protagonists. By then you won't want to turn the TV off, so you'll be happy to delve into the DVD extras. An especially cool featurette on the staging of the crash sequence shows the cast and crew blocking out the scene with Matchbox cars and preparing for extreme motion sickness during filming. It's easy to tell yourself that what you're seeing isn't real, but when the actors need barf bags, you've got to appreciate what it takes to bring these action sequences to the screen. |
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The Kingdom is not my kind of movie. It's political, logistical, and complicated...but the one thing that kept me from bagging out altogether was Jason Bateman. I've loved him since his Little House on the Prairie days, and have endured random educational videos (How Can I Tell If I'm Really In Love?), short-lived sitcoms (Some of My Best Friends), and generally bad movies (Love Stinks) just to see him. More often though, Jason leads us to things that are original, funny, and smart. The Kingdom is no exception.
