Genres

Visitors Review

2013-05-15 08:33:25

Great movie Great quality.

This review is from: The Kingdom (HD DVD/Standard DVD Combo) (HD DVD) Only reason i bought the combo pack was because it was oddly cheaper then the standard DVD. I love this movie and bought it because my other copy was skipping (bought from Target).

bkoganbing 2013-05-14 21:43:15

Dealing With Malevolence

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

2013-05-08 11:19:24

The Kingdom

This review is from: The Kingdom (Amazon Instant Video) A very good movie. Gives an insight into the politics involved in investigating overseas. Good investigation, action. All the actors are very good in their rolls!

2013-05-07 19:24:32

the kingdom

This review is from: The Kingdom (Widescreen Edition) (DVD) I want to review a purchase (company) that I recently bought a DVD from through Amazon.The KingdomMY review:Silverlake Video had sent me a damaged or flawed DVD and replaced it quickly all postage paid (both ways). No hassles, just great service! Now when I shop for DVD's on Amazon I look for their name first!

Brett Chatz 2013-05-06 21:50:12

Oversimplified take on highly complex material

For all its hype and box-office millions, The Kingdom falls hopelesslyshort of the mark on several counts. For starters it's the story ofIslamic fundamentalism in Saudi Arabia. The subject matter is thussensitive to some and highly offensive to others: hardly what one wouldcall entertainment.When a massive explosion rips through a residential American compound,killing scores of people and maiming countless others, the FBI wants toget involved. The last thing the Saudis want is the presence ofAmerican forces on their home turf, but this crack FBI squad isdetermined to get to the bottom of it. Against good advice and throughsome political cajoling, a group of agents manage to enter SaudiArabia.What they find is a conservative society and a deeply distrustfulnation. What starts out as intolerance gradually becomes a resignedacceptance of the Americans. The Saudi royals are loath to acknowledgethe presence of terrorism on their home soil. Theirs is a kingdomprecariously balanced: radicalism in all its ugliness can at any momentswing the pendulum the other way. What the princes want is to maintaincontrol without rocking the boat too much.That proves too much for Saudi forces alone, so the Americans getinvolved, only to uncover a terrorist cell unlike anything they wereexpecting. The bullets fly from every direction in this poignantaction-thriller. Its Achilles heal lies in its self-aggrandizednarcissism. As history has taught us – the war on terror cannot be wonwith weapons alone

flexdream 2013-05-06 04:11:23

Propaganda.

A dreadful film. Admittedly I had to walk out bored senseless by thetime of what I think must surely have been the last miserable shoot outin this film. It's a fascist take on the current political situation,portraying the US (exemplified by couples walking, a kid on a bike,softball etc) as innocent victims of evildoers. And the answer to thesetroubles is not diplomacy, understanding, tolerance, decency, justice,fairness, or any of that liberal crap. The answer is violence andaggression, and mavericks who will break the laws - the typical fascistvengeance wet dream. And again, the evil foreigners can't even hit astationary vehicle with RPGs until it's been safely evacuated, whenimmediately it's hit. If this all sounds safely predictable, it mostlyis, with a 'film by numbers' approach with stock characters - thejoker, the feisty woman, the laconic old timer, and the kick ass breakthe rules maverick. The film does succeed with the character andportrayal of the Saudi police colonel, who does have some depth andinterest. Apart from that, the only thing worth watching is some nicecar crash stunts. Apparently there's something interesting said at theend, but I'd left the building by then.

Steven Lester 2013-05-05 19:56:32

Outstanding Film

This film was an outstanding action film, addressing many major issuesthat exist today. This film is especially unique to me, because Iattend Arizona State University Polytechnic, where the majority of thefilming was done. I am the building supervisor for the gymnasium theFBI team use in the film. Aside from this connection I have with thefilm, the storyline and action scenes are riveting, the politicalimplications we currently face with the Middle East are accuratelydepicted, and the acting from Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, JenniferGarner, and others are superb.I highly recommend this film to anyone looking for a fast-paced,thrilling action movie. Hollywood truly outdid themselves this time.

2013-05-05 08:13:45

Solid, not spectacular... perhaps a bit too neatly wrapped...

This review is from: The Kingdom (HD DVD/Standard DVD Combo) (HD DVD) I don't want to keep a potential viewer from watching the film as it really deserves a viewing, but personally I feel a bit as if the movie offers an ending just a bit too conveniently and neatly.In reality terrorism, at least of the type displayed within the film, is a very messy and very complicated life. Finding a bad guy is tough enough in your own back yard, but finding a bad guy on foreign soil, in a land where there are many followers of such a bad guy is not going to be something that would be delivered in such a neat little package. If it was so neat and easy, we'd have captured or killed the bin Laden types a long time ago, rather than seeing several volunteers popping up to take the place of the Lieutenants that we have been able to take down.The Kingdom presents fictional events and takes literary license and liberty with the levels of cooperation we might expect to see in solving an act of terrorism on hostile soil. The actors here do a respectable job of presenting the story they've been given. Jamie Foxx plays his role well, the always reliable and steady Chris Cooper does as well. Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner do well enough in their roles too.Some reviewers complain a bit that Garner seems to be in the movie only to offer up tears, but I think those reviewers are missing the point by a mile and aren't catching the little lessons of how life in the western world differs from life in the Muslim world, especially when it comes to treatment of women.As noted in the title for this review, this is a solid film, though not spectacular. Well worth viewing, with some interesting special features and extras available to enhance the experience (the various points of views of the climatic sequence in the film as an example). See it if you have the opportunity but be forewarned that there are, as with any film really, some political messages hidden away within the film. Not the type that beat one over the head in the manner of say an acceptance speech at the Academy Awards, but some messages none the less. Mostly there to get viewers to *think* and that isn't such a bad thing really.

Nicholas 2013-04-28 05:01:58

A Crime Scene Investigation Gone Awry

The Kingdom, based upon the terrorist attack on Riyadh which took place in May of 2003, is directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights [2004]) and follows the actions of four F.B.I. agents as they attempt to piece together facts of this terrorist atrocity. Jamie Foxx (Jarhead [2005]) stars as highly skilled F.B.I. agent, Special Agent Ronald Fleury. The film also stars Chris Cooper (Breach [2007]) as agent Grant Sykes, Jennifer Garner (Daredevil [2003]) as agent Janet Mayes, and Jason Bateman (Smokin’ Aces [2007]) as agent Adam Leavitt. The film follows cocky, confident Ronald Fleury as he suavely manipulates the Saudi Arabian leaders into allowing a small investigative team to inspect the attacked compound, Riyadh. Although the plot revolves around the terrorist attack, the film’s main focus is the conflict between extremist Islamic culture and the ever-encroaching Western influences. As the F.B.I. agents search for clues that will ultimately lead them to the attackers, the audience realizes just how difficult the situation has and is becoming for these American agents and their Saudi Arabian protectors. The inevitable conflict between the police and terrorist is a grand thirty minutes of nail-biting adrenaline. The acting and direction in this film is very enjoyable. Peter Berg’s talent is apparent, but it is nothing new. The movie feels too much like a Jerry Bruckheimer flick or any other action film such as, The Bourne Identity (2002). The great ensemble of Foxx, Cooper, Garner, and Bateman is the perfect cohesion for the film. Jamie Foxx commands the screen; Chris Cooper is always entertaining; Jennifer Garner is well cast as the team’s feminine charm; and Jason Bateman provides many of this film’s necessary one-liners. However, the most impressive characters in the film are the morally conflicted Saudi Arabian police force members that have been forced to watch American agents. Although overly advertised as an Action/Thriller, The Kingdom is more a depiction of a crime scene investigation gone awry. However, the last thirty minutes will satisfy any action-junkie. This film is entertaining throughout, but if it is trying to convey an overall or humane message, the message is lost in the film’s action-packed conclusion. This film depicting a terrorist act is by no means comparable to The Siege (1998), but it does pack its own almost-unique violent punch.

Mel J 2013-04-27 12:11:22

Enjoyable enough

An intelligent action thriller, 'The Kingdom' is one of the few filmsto successful tackle the subject of Islamic extremism and the terroristthreat facing the West without coming across as racist or toojingoistic.The film sees a series of terrorist shootings and bombings decimate anAmerican housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia leaving hundreds deadand injured. As politicians dance around what to do (largely afraid ofigniting an incident with the Saudis that could risk the oil supply),FBI Agent Ronald Fleury and his team manage to secure a deal that seesthem heading to Saudi Arabia for five days in a bid to track down theterrorists responsible for the murders of their fellow countrymen.Hampered by mistrusting Saudi police, protocol and unfamiliarity withthe ways of a new land, Fleury's team find the key to solving theircrime is to engage in a partnership with their counterparts in SaudiArabia.Jamie Foxx, as Fleury, gives an effective performance as a man who notonly loses a good friend in the bombing but also sees that this is theviolent, precarious world he is raising his son in. He shows how Fleuryis caught between seeking blind revenge and realising that it is theminority of Islamics who are dangerous to America. Jennifer Garner,Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman in roles as members of his team are asstrong in portraying their characters as Americans who have every rightto seek justice but must rise above terrorists to be the better people.However, it is lesser known actor Ashraf Barhom, in his role as SaudiColonel Faris Al-Ghazi, who steals the show in his solid and very humandepiction of his character's fierce loyalty to his country and hatredtowards the terrorists giving Saudi Arabia a bad name. ThroughAl-Ghazi, we see his determination to ensure all investigations arecarried out above board despite his colleagues' using torture to gainconfessions and also his dignity in accepting the foreign officers onhis turf.This film could easily been about the good ole American boys trackingthem down some foreign 'scum' to kill but it instead handles thesubject with a degree of grace. It depicts the fact that only a smallminority of Islamics support terrorism (yet showing how fanatical theyare that they are willing to use their own young children in theircause) but that their motives are not clear cut. The end scenes arevery ironic in showing why conflict continues. The main flaw with thefilm is the terrible cinematography. It feels as if the cameraman washaving a seizure with the way the filming jerks and wobbles fromscene-to-scene (this style of filming is not modern or interesting;it's irritating and best left to low-budget trash like 'The Blair WitchProject').Overall, 'The Kingdom' was a pretty decent film. It's definitely one towatch if you enjoy action flicks but want a decent storyline included.

Oscar Ricardo Encinas 2013-04-25 10:58:24

Magnificent!

This movie is one of those I consider "strong". Why? Not just becausethe direction, photography, script (special mention to that) and actingare an impenetrable stronghold, but because it makes you feel sodifferent but INTENSE emotions all film long that will make you want towatch it once again very soon and tell everybody about it.This mention can be risky but it is, in my humble opinion, the bestBerg's direction so far. The introduction looks like an old-school wardocumentary with great and stylish animation. The development ismagnificent, you won't find any vulgar and ordinary stereotypes ordialogs here, everything will be at its place. The conclusion, well, Idon't write spoiling reviews so I won't say anything.A movie worth watching, worth buying, worth debating, but even beingthis great, it's not perfect... But it's close.

ChangoMutney 2013-04-24 21:22:25

Great film, certain moments could've been better

I really liked this film- energetic, fast paced and intelligent. Theopening montage giving a potted history of the Saudis was veryinteresting and helps set the scene.The fact we were treated to seeing life from the Saudi Police/Military's point of view was excellent, and the 2 main Saudi actors whoplayed Haytham and Al Ghazi were great in their roles.Although it was heart stopping action, the scene where they saveLeavitt right at the last minute was a bit silly- makes for nicecinema, but the film would've been darker and better off had they notmade it in time.That part did remind me a bit of the scene in Clear and Present Dangerwhere they are ambushed by roof-top gunmen, but this was betterexecuted.All in all, great film, would recommend it to others, but it could'vebeen even better!

leonlouisricci 2013-04-17 22:27:04

Explosive Shot At Exploiting Terrorism

A propaganda piece that uses children for emotional points in a kind ofperverted Spielberg attempt at audience manipulation and is reallynothing more than an action flick with a number of confusing gunbattles and explosions.The political points are just as perplexing as the battles and arenauseatingly nasty as they put viewers in a dazed state of jerky,moving, sweeping, swirling, bumpy camera movements that do nothing butcrumble the fourth wall and leave the audience with motion sickness.Nothing is here to foster any patriotic pulse or any statement on thealready volatile setting of the Middle East. It is a cheap shot at thehorrific experience of terrorism in the most lurid, cheap exploitationof suffering used for nothing more than to sell tickets to an involvedpublic who is ready to cathartic-ally release pent up anger and willingto support our troops deployed in that part of the globe.DRAMAMINE ALERT...this is one of the worst offenders of camera shakingto date and if you are sensitive to the rocking and rolling of screenimages you may want to avoid illness by staying way away from this...and you won't be missing a thing.

Jackson Booth-Millard 2013-04-17 04:53:09

The Kingdom

To be honest, I think I lost track during this film, and only the starskept me going, but bits of this film from director Peter Berg (Welcometo the Jungle) were okay. Basically a terrorist detonates a bomb on anAmerican facility in the Middle East, or Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. FBISpecial Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) assembles an elite team toinvestigate and find the mad bomber. They are unwelcome by the Saudiauthorities though, but they find Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (AshrafBarhom) who helps them get around without too many problems. Eventuallythey realise the location of the bomber, and fighting for their onlives, they and the many strangers won't stop until justice is found in"The Kingdom". Also starring Chris Cooper as Grant Sykes, Catch Me IfYou Can's Jennifer Garner as Janet Mayes, Jason Bateman as AdamLeavitt, Ali Suliman as Sergeant Haytham, Jeremy Piven as DamonSchmidt, Danny Huston as Attorney General Gideon Young, Richard Jenkinsas FBI Director James Grace and Titanic's Frances Fisher as ElaineFlowers. The only interesting moments for me are some explosions, somebits of the investigation, as I said the cast, and that's about it.Adequate!

2013-04-12 17:59:27

Not perfect, but exciting and well choreographed

not too thought provoking...but the action sequences are satisfyingending was a little of place from the rest of the movie

ma-cortes 2013-04-12 09:13:00

A FBI crack team formed by three men and one woman goes to Saudi Arab to investigate a terrorist massacre

Tense film packs intrigue, action , thrills, suspense and an stirringfinal . Thrilling and exciting movie about terrorism , foreign policycritical and geopolitical issues . After a terrorist bombing on an USAoil company compound in Saudi Arab caused a slaughter , the FBI chief(Richard Jenkins) against the opinion of the General Prosecutor (DannyHuston) sends some crack agents a dangerous mission .FBI Special AgentRonald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) quickly assembles an elite team ( ChrisCooper ,Jennifer Garner , Jason Bateman) and negotiates a secretfive-day trip into Saudi Arabia to locate the madmen behind the bombing, not withstanding the protests of slimy diplomat (Jeremy Piven). Theyare actively involved in discover the terrorist cell , as the Jihadisare executing a massacre , and planning others and eluding authoritiesfor some time . As they enter Saudi Arab the crew meets colonel Faris (Ashraf ) like-minded partner and together they scheme to solve it . TheCIA agents supported by the Saudi Colonel who helps them navigate royalpolitics and unlock the secrets of the crime scene and the workings ofan extremist cell bent on further destruction , all of them plot tochase relentlessly the mastermind terrorist . The group find theirexpertise worthless without the trust of their Saudi counterparts, whowant to locate the terrorist in their homeland on their own terms .However they form a shaky alliance to break the terrorist ring whoseobjective is the bombing civilian targets .Story's core is interesting and script is dense with information anduse of interesting messages to add weight to drama, furthermore ispacked with moving ending scenes as when the team is attacked on thehighway and when the crew is led to the killer's front door in ablistering do-or-die confrontation. The ultra-brisk editing and rapidimages movement leaves little time to consider some inadequacies. Thepicture takes parts from ¨Syriana¨ ( by Steven Soderbergh with GeorgeClooney) about the dangerous terrorism Arab ; ¨Black Hawk down¨ (byRidley Scott) in which US military involved into action on a foreigncountry ; Spy game ¨(2001, by Tony Scott with Brad Pitt and RobertRedford ) concerning the spy-world and ¨Body of lies ¨ (2008 by RidleyScott with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe ) about sophisticatedmethods of the international terrorism . The intrepid Jamie Foxx , theveteran Chris Cooper and the only female Jennifer Garner are good asintelligent , brave super-agents and Jeremy Piven's cool displaying abrief performance. The film contains colorful , glimmer cinematography, predominating of yellow tones , by Mauro Fiore . Rousing and vibrantmusical score by Danny Elfman with some Arab overtones. The motionpicture is well realized by Peter Berg. Rating : Above average, wellworth watching.

drystyx 2013-04-12 15:33:14

Assets and faults: lucky to made during pitiful movie year

This is a difficult film to evaluate. It has faults and assets whicharen't often mentioned. It is very fortunate to be made in the sameyear as some of the worst movies ever (Final Contact, Man From Earth),which may make it seem to be a better film than it really is. It issupposed to be action packed and fast paced, but actually comes acrossas a slow paced, yet thinking man's movie. It would be better if theEnglish speaking actors could enunciate better. True, the lead speakswell, and so do the Saudis. The others: it is impossible to understandmore than a word or two of their dialog. Pitiful, considering they aresupposed to be English speaking. A few too many motor vehicle scenes tobe action oriented. It was a common misconception in the 1960s thatcars could be as exciting as horses. Wrong! (Unless you're a dork,yokel, redneck, or perhaps in a third world country where you don't seemotor vehicles). While some film makers make the mistake of notrealizing motor vehicles are not exciting cinema, these movie makersuse the vehicles because they are needed to tell their story, so theycan't really be faulted. It does try to compress a lot of History invery little time. I won't fault them for that. The film does a good jobof showing characters and plot, however, and a concept that in the endthey show their point (rather well I think). I could nitpick about thescene where four agents gun down a few dozen strategically placed, wellarmed ambushers without receiving one gunshot wound. That's ludicrouseven by Hollywood standards. That, plus the lack of enunciation skillscheapen an otherwise worthy movie.

Faris Godus 2013-04-12 00:30:24

I'd Give It 10/10

This Movie Is So Brilliant The Acting Was So Great (Jamie Foxx) And TheRest Of The Cast Was A Really Nice Choice ,(Ashraf Barhom) Was SpeakingSaudi Very Well ,although The Rest Of The Cast Sucked At ArabicSpecially Jennifer Garner When She Said (Malish) She Really Made MeLaugh ,But The Ending Was Really Good.I'd Really Give 10/10 But There Are Too Many mistakes In This MovieLike: 1- At The End Of The Movie The Sargent Gave (Ronald Fleury) A(Sobha) And Said :(This is to keep away your worries.) But That Was AReally Big Mistake Because The (Sobha) Won't Protect Anyone Even IfHe's A Muslim And It's Imposable That Some Muslim Do It Cause It Won'tMake Him A Muslims. (Muslims Will Understand Me).But After All It Was A Great Movie And I Enjoyed It.

tigerfire-1 2013-04-06 00:57:09

Set flaws and clichés draw back an otherwise good film

There are glaring setup flaws in the bomb disaster scene. As ajournalist I have been to many disaster zones and the one thing youknow is that even if body parts have been cleared, there is a lot ofblood around and EVERYONE working on the scene wears a surgical mask,because of the gut-wrenching stink + the biohazard. There are none inevidence in the film as the FBI team literally wades through the bombzone. How on Earth did they miss on that? They make a big show of usingsurgical gloves, but there are no masks!! And these are Americans whoare supposed to be much more aware of these hazards and protocols.Also, with a bomb of this size, there is likely to be lingering smokefrom the debris up to 24 hrs after. The FBI team reaches in a day, butthere is zero smoke visible.While it is a good action movie with an attempt at a contemporarypolitical theme, and with an attempt at dealing with it in an unbiasedmanner, there is still the sadly inevitable portrait of efficient andmotivated Americans compared with foolish and buffoon-like Saudis.There are literally just 2-3 exceptions amongst the Saudis who standout as regular guys.Apart from these flaws, again, not a bad attempt. Action is well done.

2013-04-05 11:53:19

Good movie but

they are playing out the same old bigoted anti-white stereotypes as seen in many Hollywood shows these days; the Black guy and white woman are the sophisticated hero's, while the two white male agents are unsophisticated and vulgar (Jamie Foxx is a very good actor btw). The movie also reinforces the stereotype that Arabs are maniacal killers that are hell bent on killing Americans. The truth is, the Arabs do not want Hollywood filth destroying their culture as it has done to the USA and Europe and are willing to take a stand when ignorant Ameritard culture invades their country (think jerry springer). It was refreshing to see the running michael moore lookalike doing a head over head when the jeep driver stiched him with the 16. The movie has some very good action scenes except that the RPG shots are really fake looking. The beginning of the movie gives a brief history of oil discovery in Arabia and mentions the 73 oil embargo. What it does not say is that Henry Kissenger engineered the 73 oil embargo in order to give the dollar petro backing since they had just broke from the gold standard in 71. They then engineered a fake war in 73 so thatthe oil companies could say that the Arabs are punishing the USA for helping the Israelis. This was thoroughly discussed at Bilderberg during that year in Sweden. This is a good movie if you are a thinker,another movie that is recommended is "Wag The Dog".