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The Kingdom

(2007) Action - Rated R

Directed by: Peter Berg

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner

Overview: Federal agents seek a terrorist cell in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

RATINGS:

  • The Kingdom

    A sympathetic Saudi police captain helps a team of federal agents (Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner) flush out a terrorist cell in Riyadh.

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    Reviews

    REELZ REVIEW
    "Jamie Foxx and pals take on Saudi terrorists in Peter Berg's new film...."  [more]
    — Thomas Leupp

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    • oscarbum

      04/11/08 03:22 PM
      I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting a run-of-the-mill war film, when it's actually more of a detective story set in a war zone. Highly effective. Very gripping resolution. I imagine if you go in with as low expectations as I did, you'll enjoy it as well.
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    • Thomas Leupp

      ReelzChannel.com, September 28, 2007


      Jamie Foxx, kicking terrorist a**The Kingdom is an entertaining film that suffers from an acute identity crisis, unable to decide whether it wants to be a Bruckheimer action flick or a Syriana-esque political thriller.


      The movie bursts out of the gate in a startling fashion, when a terrorist's bomb rips through an oil company housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing hundreds of Americans stationed there. An elite FBI team, comprised of Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman, is dispatched to Riyadh to investigate the matter, and they immediately encounter an array of political and cultural roadblocks in their pursuit of the terrorist culprits.


      After the stellar beginning, The Kingdom's story slows down considerably, morphing into a tedious episode of "CSI: Saudi Arabia" as the team carefully canvasses ground zero for evidence. It's here that director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights, The Rundown) makes his plea for political relevance, and the story suffers as a result. Seemingly sensing the prolonged lull, Berg picks up the pace with the film's riveting climax, a superb house-to-house battle reminiscent of Alfonso Cuaron's legendary urban warfare sequence in Children of Men


      Unfortunately, The Kingdom left a bad taste in my mouth with its final scene, a moment of such heavy-handed, bonk-you-over-the-head irony that it nearly wrecked the movie for me entirely.


      The Kingdom features a fine cast, though at times Berg seems at a loss to figure out what to do with his actors. While Foxx turns in a solid performance, Bateman and Cooper are woefully underutilized and Garner seems oddly out of place. Turning in the best performance by far is Ashraf Barhom, who plays a Saudi colonel torn by conflicting duties toward his job, his government and his faith. A relative unknown, Barhom effectively steals the show as the movie's only multi-dimensional character.


      ReelzChannel Rating:  6


      Disagree? Let me know at tleupp@reelzchannel.com.


      Visit ReelzChannel's The Kingdom page for interviews, clips, images and more!

  • 29 photos. Click to enlarge.

    • oscarbum

      04/11/08 03:22 PM
      I was pleasantly surprised by this one. I was expecting a run-of-the-mill war film, when it's actually more of a detective story set in a war zone. Highly effective. Very gripping resolution. I imagine if you go in with as low expectations as I did, you'll enjoy it as well.
      Review Rating: 0
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    • m0vi3fr3ak

      02/22/08 11:47 PM
      dear god this movie is so good. These are the war movies i love to see more of right baby!!!!
      Review Rating: -1
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  • Crew

    Director Peter Berg
    Producer Michael Mann
    Producer Scott Stuber
    Executive Producer Mary Parent
    Executive Producer John Cameron
    Executive Producer Sarah Aubrey
    Executive Producer Ryan Kavanaugh
    Executive Producer Steve Saeta
    Writer Matthew Michael Carnahan
    Writer Matthew Carnahan

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Friday, August 24

  • Bateman: Arrested Development movie "not dead yet."

    BatemanEver since Arrested Development's premature demise, fans of the short-lived, critically acclaimed series have held out hope that the beloved comedy might somehow resurface, whether as a series on another network or as a feature film.

    "That is certainly on the table and not dead yet; I just don't know when the right time will be," Arrested Development star Jason Bateman revealed today in an exclusive interview with ReelzChannel.com, adding that the surging careers of fellow castmembers Michael Cera and Will Arnett could help the effort. "Maybe by virtue of us doing well, it makes the idea of a re-visit -- whether it be in a movie or whatever -- a little bit more of a viable scenario. Because if none of us had careers after Arrested Development, it would kind of reek of 'Oh, these poor people couldn't let it go,' or 'They need to make a check.'"

    Bateman has several high-profile film projects on the horizon, including Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and Juno. His latest movie, The Kingdom, opens on September 28th.


    Posted 08/24/2007 by Thomas

    Jason Bateman | Michael Cera | Thomas Leupp | Juno | Superbad | The Kingdom

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