The Kingdom (2007)

PETER BERG, OPUS 4

** 2007. Directed by Peter Berg. When a terrorist attack kills dozens of American citizens in Saudi Arabia, four FBI agents are sent to Ryadh to find out who's responsible for the killing. Very weak effort from a director who gave us Very Bad Things, Friday Night Lights (Widescreen Edition) and The Rundown (Widescreen Edition) a few years ago. The camera work is ridiculous, the screenplay inept and the message conveyed by the film questionable to say the least. I felt like watching a 110 minutes long episode of CSI:Ryadh, it's as simple as that. Inadvisable. September 25, 2008

Blowin' up the sunshine

Laudi Daudi
massacre in Saudi
Terrorists causing trouble
always shooting somebaudi

After an unmerciful terrorist attack on an oil company compound, an elite team of FBI agents spring forth into the turbulent aftermath, hoping to sniff out the culprit.
The Kingdom starts off in explosive fashion, but quickly fizzles with a tedious detective story. The plot development seems pretty muddled, and my attention span started to go up in smoke. It does establish a glimpse of the bleak political climate in the region, but the direction is lethargic.

But don't worry, it all proves worthwhile. Your senses eventually get pounded as the conflict surges from the screen. It's a heart-pounding, unbridled frenzy, just some gut-wrenching special effects. Very well done, comparisons to Black Hawk Down are very well deserved.

Overall, this is a decent action flick that tries to be an intelligent political thriller. It succeeds on some levels.
September 15, 2008

one of best movies in years

I rate this move as tops. If you liked black hawk down, this should be down your alley. Excellant film, filmed in Abu Dabi and everythings looks authentic...Jamie Foxx does a wonderful job acting...I enjoyed the plot, the bad guys were bad, the good guys were good. Suspenseful, action packed, almost too fast moving...I watched second time to pick up details I missed first time...glad I bought this movie as will watch many times.
September 11, 2008

Witness in the Desert

This is a solid movie well-worth seeing.

Ever seen The Witness? Harrision Ford finds himself in an Amish community, having to learn their ways and abide by their rules? You get a lot of that in The Kingdom, but it is done in very interesting and compelling ways.

As if mimicking stories from the headlines, the movie follows four FBI agents as they try to solve a number of terrorist actions in Saudi Arabia. They have five days but they're not allowed to work at night, they can't touch anything, especially Muslim bodies, and they have to be guarded at all times. The real story is how they overcome all of these restrictions and get the job done.

All of the performances are top-notch and believable. The story is well-crafted and tense. I actually watched it twice in one day and was just as drawn into it the second time as I was the first.

The biggest drawback to the movie is its name! We've got The Kingdom, The Kingdom of Heaven, the Forbidden Kingdom, and Indiana Jone's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, to name a few.

The Kingdom (that's this movie) should be on your list for what to watch this weekend. August 28, 2008

Fox & co fight the the terrorists in HD

It's too bad that this fine action/themed film did not get it's due at the box office. Well directed by actor Peter Berg who also does a small cameo in this flick, the cast is well served by Oscar winners Jamie Fox & Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner (Alias) and Jason Bateman as FBI agents sent to the Middle East to investigate a bombing which took the lives of civilians, American and Arabs, alike by a terrorist group. The tension is high throughout and the transfer to HD is excellent. Fox more than makes up for his previous bummer, "Stealth", with this winner. August 17, 2008

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