"The Kingdom"

I went out this weekend and caught another sneak peek of a movie that will not actually open until next weekend. This one is called “The Kingdom.” In Saudi Arabia there are many Americans that work there on a semi permanent basis. For the most part they all live in a secure compound that resembles any suburban neighborhood you might find anywhere in the U.S. One day a better part of the town is out enjoying time off work, playing a baseball game. Even though this base is heavily guarded, and almost impossible to get into without getting through the check points, and having proper identification, a small group of terrorists get through and start shooting up the town. I can’t describe the situation or what happens next, but lets just say, shooting up the town is the very least of the devastation that takes place that day.

The government ties the hands of the F.B.I. and forbids them to go in and investigate the terrorist attack site in the hopes of catching the one responsible, so a small team lead by Ronald Fluery (played by Jamie fox) makes a deal in private to get permission to land near the site via one of the Saudi Prince’s private airports. Once they arrive they are met with almost total resistance. They are not allowed to do anything at all, but finally after meeting one on one with the Saudi Prince, Fluery convinces him to let him investigate. The investigation takes them deep into the nightmarish realm of the extremist Islamic group responsible for the attack. The F.B.I. group itself is targeted for trying to investigate the attack, but that does not stop them.

The last thing I want to do on a Saturday night at the movies is be totally depressed, but after watching this film and having this serious problem thrown into my face yet again (as If I don’t hear enough about it each day with the car bombings) I left totally bummed out. Even with the depressing factor, I must say the film did exactly what it was intended to do. It brings to light in a very real way what goes on in a lot of the Middle Eastern countries every single day.

While Director Peter Berg’s list is pretty long with what movies, and projects he is associated with, out of that list, this is for sure one of his better films. The movie is shot in a way the really gives you a sense of the desperation of these countries. The over head shots of the towns, the blank scenery mile after mile. Just the “look” of the country side (other then the grand palaces that the prince’s occupy) is bleak and scary. The film as a whole was well done, but when you leave the theater, you do not leave happy, or even entertained. You leave with a sense of helplessness, knowing how the movie ends is exactly how things end in real life. This is not a fantasy movie. This stuff happens for real every day, and it’s a sad world when you face these facts.

My rating for this movie is 7.50 out of 10.00