DVD REVIEW: THE KINGDOM

12/21/07

FILM REVIEW: Believe the hype! Believe what you’ve read. Believe what you’ve heard. Every now and then in movie land a diamond in the rough is found. It’s that unknown, unexpected big hit that rocks movie goers. This is one of them. Even though it is not an existing, popular franchise or a sequel like the many big ones that have come out this year, this movie is just as good if not better than any of them. I was not expecting this at all and I was pleasantly surprised. This film blends intense action with true-to-life events and circumstances. It is the most realistic action thriller that I can recall.

Terrorism, the war on terror, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden are words and phrases that have become as common in the average American household as Coke, McDonald’s, and Sponge Bob. This film takes you on an in-your-face tour of a terrorist attack on a U.S. facility populated by Americans in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and its subsequent investigation. After so many are killed in this heartless attack, an elite FBI team is assembled. Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx), Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), and Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman) are the members of this team and they go do what they do best; find answers. Their assignment, however, is far from easy. Starting with the politics right here at home to the politics in the Kingdom, it’s hard to imagine any more obstacles. Even when having to deal with the culture shock, the hatred towards Americans, and the religious fanaticism, they persevere. To make matters worse, the terrorists responsible for the attack are now targeting them turning this investigation into a fight for survival.

This production couldn’t have been released at a better time. Because of the world we live in today, most of you will be able to understand the severity of this story and gasp at its realism. The cinematography was key in maintaining this realistic effect. Everything from the sand of the desert to the Sheik’s monstrous palace, you are right there with the team in this hot, hostile, foreign land. There is a scene reminiscent of Clear and Present Danger with Harrison Ford that is just nerve-raking. The ol’ “caravan of trucks in a tight road with tall buildings all around” scene . . . yeah, you know what I’m talking about. Well this one blows the socks off the Present Danger version. Actually, you could more easily compare this movie to Syriana although Syriana was a broader view of the whole oil game where Kingdom is tighter story based on this particular event.

Although I don’t see any Oscar nominations for best performances out of this picture, they are all worthy of honorable mention. Every member of the team embodied their character very well. Jamie’s character commanded respect and had an endless supply of raw determination as the team leader. Jennifer was realistically unglamorous as an agent in this environment and fought side by side with the boys. Chris brought a sense of wisdom and experience to his character. Jason’s character was the occasional comic relief but is wasn’t Jason being funny through his character, it was Jason playing a character that happened to be the team clown . . . quality. Ashraf Barhom gave us a sharp role as Colonel Faris Al Ghazi, the only true ally to the team’s cause. Then, of course, there’s Jeremy Piven who can always nail a memorable supporting role. He plays Damon Schmidt, a U.S. State Department official stationed in Saudi Arabia and trying desperately to maintain relations during this whole ordeal, especially with the presence of this FBI team. He delivers a quick, witty, and entertaining character as only he can.

So you might have seen a commercial on TV or the web that says something along the lines that the last 30 minutes are so intense you won’t want to move . . . well . . . yeah, pretty much, yeah. I must admit that even though I don’t have years and years of experience as a movie critic, I must tell you that as a fan of movies and as the movie critic that I am, I saw no major flaws in this production. There is really nothing negative for me to say about it. Director Peter Berg (The Rundown, Friday Night Lights) has shown just how talented he is not only as an actor and a writer, but as a director as well. Not a bad resume. Action fans, you don’t want to miss this one!

Film Review By Cine Marcos
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

VIDEO:
Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1

AUDIO:
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English Spanish French
Subtitles - English, Spanish, French

BONUS FEATURES:

Deleted Scenes: The deleted scenes are all compiled in a single selection. There is no option to select a single scene. More or less 7 deleted scenes, most of them are prior to the deployment to Saudi Arabia. The only scene worth watching is the last one, which is a combat scene. (11:07)

Character By Character: The Apartment Shootout : Follow the journeys of six characters during the pulse-pounding rescue sequence. (13:49)

Creating The Kingdom: An inside look at the making of the film. (35:30)

Constructing The Freeway Sequence: This featurette deconstructs the process of bringing the freeway sequence to the big screen. (18:18)

History of The Kingdom: An Interactive Timeline: Viewers scroll through decades of history to learn more about key events in this animated timeline that branches off into archival news stories, short featurettes, text based stories, etc.

Feature Commentary with Director Peter Berg

RATING BREAK DOWN:

FILM REVIEW
VIDEO
AUDIO
BONUS FEATURES

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DVD REVIEW: THE KINGDOM 12/21/07

DVD REVIEW: THE KINGDOM

12/21/07