The Kingdom (2007)
March 10th 2008 00:46
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Ali Suliman, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman
Director: Peter Berg
Screenplay: Matthew Carnahan
Running time: 110 minutes
FUNDAMENTALIST Islamic terrorists in Saudi Arabia target an American compound full of oil workers. In a devastating show of self-belief a suicide bomber kills and wounds several hundred workers during a company baseball game. Cue Ronald Fleury (Foxx) and his crew of FBI forensic specialists, who are reluctantly let into the inner sanctum of Saudi Arabian security to find the bombers.
The film highlights the dichotomy of a country that at its heart is fundamentalist, while to the outside world tries to portray itself as a beacon of hope for the Middle East. This underlying political subtext provides the film's theme - an autocratic regime upheld by fundamentalist Wahibbist traditions can’t be seen by its best customer (the USA) to be soft on terrorism, but has to balance that by not being seen by its conservative population as a puppet to western forces.
Foxx is good as usual, and is ably supported by fellow Oscar-winner Cooper, as well as Garner and Batemen. However, the real star of this movie is Ali Suliman, who continues his good work after great stints in Paradise Now and the Syrian Bride. He epitomises a person caught between two worlds; someone helping people he doesn’t really like to solve a crime he abhors.
3.5 stars out of 5
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