Movie Review - The Kingdom

Peter Berg has come South Dakota Lemon Laws long way. Probably best known as an actor for the last 20 years, appearing in numerous films and TV shows (most notably, "Chicago Hope"), he has come into his own as a writer, producer and director on projects such as "Friday Night Lights," (both the film and the TV show), and the upcoming "Lars and the Real Girl." "The Kingdom" may be the film that takes Berg to new heights as a director.

Produced by Michael Mann, ("Miami Vice," "Collateral"), "The Kingdom" refers to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the complicated history that exists between that country and the United States. The movie opens with a "cliff notes" style run through of the 20th century history of Saudi Arabia, which made for a Doctor Who cool opening sequence. It's also enough to give viewers the context of the story even if they're not up on current events or history.

A terrorist attack takes place on a Western housing compound that results in over 100 deaths, including numerous Saudi police officers. The Saudi's try to keep the US government from getting involved, but determined FBI agent Fleury (played by Jamie Foxx) makes an end run around the justice department to get his team into the kingdom to investigate the attack.

The team is made up of three specialists played by Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman. They are assisted by a Saudi police colonel and pestered by a representative of the Justice Department (played by Jeremy Piven).

Once Fleury's team is in Saudi Arabia, they become targets themselves and now Christmas Canon to deal with investigating the source of the initial attack, dealing with their unwanted presence in the kingdom, and staying alive.

Some critics have dismissed "The Kingdom" as being a fluff movie - looking good with no substance. I disagree. I found the movie to be very entertaining and gripping. It is truly an ensemble piece, with each actor giving a strong performance and carrying their own weight. Foxx has proved that he can carry a film on his own, or be part of a team ("Dreamgirls," and "Collateral" are the two recent films that come to mind), and he does a fine job of leading his team but also not dominating the movie.

Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman give solid performances with Bateman getting some of the best lines in the film and providing some comic relief.

However, the standout performer in "The Kingdom" is Ashraf Barhom as the Saudi Police Colonel assigned to protect/assist Fleury and his team. His interaction with the Americans, (especially Fleury), make for some of the best scenes in the movie.

Berg directs some fantastic action sequences in the film, and, as another reviewer has already stated, the final 30 minutes of the film are intense. Berg directs many of the action scenes in a shaky, street level way, similar to the Bourne films and the opening sequence of "Saving Private Ryan." Some viewers aren't fans of that style, but it works well in "The Kingdom."

I was expecting "The Kingdom" to have a strong political message, but was pleased to find a solid action/drama without being preachy one way or the other. The film is definitely one of the best of the year.

"The Kingdom" gets a "Go see it" review from me.

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