Thanks for all the rates - if you read one of my reviews, then I will return the favour! Would appr...
Thanks for all the rates - if you read one of my reviews, then I will return the favour! Would appreciate any reads of my Flashforward review - it came through too fast!
Member since:10.01.2009
Reviews:102
Members who trust:56
The Kingdom (2007)
I have had this film sat on my shelf now for a while and had not got around to watching it. As the pickings on the tv were a bit slim, I decided to give it a go.
Basic Plot
The story is centred around a terrible terrorist attack that takes place at the beginning of the film, in an American compound which is located in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - (hence the title). With the presence of American investigators being likely to further inflame an already volatile situation, America is told not to send any personnel; that Saudi Arabian police are quite capable of finding the people behind the attack. Not happy with this response, FBI agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) blackmails an official representing Saudi Arabia in America and gains permission to have five days on Saudi soil to be satisfied that a proper investigation is being carried out. They are accompanied by Saudi police at all times, for their own protection and to keep them under control. A personal element comes into the story as one of the victims, was known to the team sent to investigate. The film follows their progress, as they attempt to hunt down the killers.
In my opinion all of the acting was good in this film. I particularly enjoyed the understated performance of Ashraf Barhom, as the Saudi police representative. He did a great job of slowly befriending the Americans; escorting them around the bomb site, gathering evidence. For me, he was perhaps the only one who we got to see a real personal side to. Yes, a little was shown of Jamie Foxx family, but this didn't seem that real to me.
The other outstanding actor in this film was Chris Cooper, which is no surprise as he is an Oscar winner himself, for the best actor in a supporting role for Adaptation (2002). Maybe his accent helps, but I loved watching him to try to communicate with the Saudi's with the help of hand signals, as he tried to get his message across.
I think also the performance by Jennifer Garner was good, she was obviously playing a person with quite a tough job, and she played it in quite a gritty way. This was no glamorous Lara Croft type warrior, she played some tough fighting scenes intensely and really had you on the edge of your seat.
Soundtrack
The music had a Middle East feel to it - it was very tense from the beginning and made you feel tense at the right moments. It was used to good effect, as was silence when required to highlight moments of sadness.
Location
Considering this was filmed mostly in Arizona, they did a fantastic job at making you believe the whole thing took place in Saudi Arabia. It never ceases to amaze me how clever the film makers are at constructing a set and making you believe it exists in reality. It really felt like the hot arid desert of the Middle East.
Overall Opinion
This was a film that had my attention from the very beginning. The film starts with a kind of story board, detailing the recent history of Saudi Arabia and it's place in the world. This was a great place to start, so that any gaps in knowledge could be filled and I felt better prepared to watch it, having been able to view this snippit.
The film gets right into the action at the start, with the terrorist attack being shown and the subsequent aftermath. These scenes are not for the faint hearted, but are well constructed.
You have to pay attention then to the discussion by the FBI about the next course of action to follow. Of course nothing runs smoothly and at first the Americans are denied access to the crime scene. At times, I felt you had to listen very carefully to the dialogue as it was difficult to follow and pick up, what was being said at times. In fact, sometimes I was glad o fthe subtitles because then at least I could be sure about what was going on!
The stunts and gunfire must have taken ages to shoot and were very well put together. They were not done in a glamorous, nor gratuitous way, which is often the case in films of this type. I have to say that I admired the solution to how they avoided being followed in their car; I can't believe this hasn't been done in a film somewhere before - see what you think...
The only real criticism that I have is over characterisation. Yes the characters are skilled and tough, but apart from the main Saudi policeman and Jamie Foxx, there is very little back story or human element to the people involved. I know that there are limits to what can be achieved within a certain timeframe, but I would have liked a little more detail as to what makes them tick, because it is only then that you really begin to feel for the characters and get totally immersed in the characters and their story. Peter Bergs' original cut was two and half hours, but Universal cut it - shame on them.
Overall, I enjoyed this film and the story it wanted to tell; I felt it captured the way of life in Saudi Arabia, without being stereotypical and importantly I felt that I had actually learned something from watching it.
Availabililty
It is available from Amazon for only £3.98, which I think is a very good price, considering rental prices. In fact, even though I knew what was coming, I enjoyed it more the second time I watched it, as there were nuances that I picked up better and I could follow the dialogue better this time round.
Running time: 106 minutes
Certificate 15 (about right considering the violence and odd swear word)
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: K.C. Bascombe - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Jesse James, Rachel Skarsten, Charles Powell, Linda Purl, Kevin Zegars
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Oct 11th, 2009
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