The Kingdom 2007

views updated

The Kingdom ★★ 2007 (R)

After a suicide bombing in Saudi Arabia kills over 100 Americans, FBI agent Ronald Fleury (Foxx) leads a hotshot team (Cooper, Garner, and a particularily obnoxious Bateman) to investigate, although officials from both governments aren't exactly happy about the situation. Fleury and company arrive on Saudi soil ready to open a can of American whoop-ass, but not everything is as simple as it seems for them or their Saudi handler Col. al Ghazi (Barhom). Culture clashes, personal agendas, and political intrigue prove complicated while they track the terrorist suspected of planning the bombing. Big-budget actioner strives for relevance with its true-life back-drop, but too often settles for exploitation, and director Berg never seems at ease with his subject until the movie's final explosion-fest. 110m/C DVD, HD DVD . US Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhoum, Ali Suliman, Jeremy Piven; D: Peter Berg; W: Matthew Carnahan; C: Mauro Fiore; M: Danny Elfman.

More From encyclopedia.com