If anyone expects from The Kingdom a serious geopolitical study on what American policy should be in the Middle East, particularly Saudi Arabia, don't spend your money there. If one is expecting an exciting action thriller in an exotic location, than this is your film.
It fascinates me how some people can never wrap themselves around the concept of pure evil. What we are dealing with is religious fundamentalism, the notion that your religion gives you the right to do all kinds of evil in the name of the Deity you worship. It leads to the justification of evil acts by anyone's standards, somehow whitewashed good because you did them in what you consider a noble cause.
Islamic militants both shoot down and bomb American oil workers in their western sanctuary, leaving dead and wounded in three figures. Saudi politics get in the way of law enforcement, so some extra legal pressure is put on them to send an FBI team to investigate. The team is Jamie Fox, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman.
It becomes a detective story after that until the climax when the militants try to take one of the FBI team and behead him for propaganda purposes. The final shootout in distinctly unfriendly territory where the American team is helped by Saudi cop Ashraf Barhom is well staged and exciting. Barhom, an Israeli actor, has the best performance in the film.
The film was shot in both Phoenix and the United Arab Emirates and captures the flavor and feel of an Islamic society very well. The Kingdom is not anything profound, but can be enjoyed on its own level.
It fascinates me how some people can never wrap themselves around the concept of pure evil. What we are dealing with is religious fundamentalism, the notion that your religion gives you the right to do all kinds of evil in the name of the Deity you worship. It leads to the justification of evil acts by anyone's standards, somehow whitewashed good because you did them in what you consider a noble cause.
Islamic militants both shoot down and bomb American oil workers in their western sanctuary, leaving dead and wounded in three figures. Saudi politics get in the way of law enforcement, so some extra legal pressure is put on them to send an FBI team to investigate. The team is Jamie Fox, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman.
It becomes a detective story after that until the climax when the militants try to take one of the FBI team and behead him for propaganda purposes. The final shootout in distinctly unfriendly territory where the American team is helped by Saudi cop Ashraf Barhom is well staged and exciting. Barhom, an Israeli actor, has the best performance in the film.
The film was shot in both Phoenix and the United Arab Emirates and captures the flavor and feel of an Islamic society very well. The Kingdom is not anything profound, but can be enjoyed on its own level.