Review of The Kingdom (2007) by Orson — 10 Oct 2007

The first 20 minutes give us a vital history, economic, and geopolitical lesson on the West's relationship with Saudi Arabia over the last 40 years. No oil, no problem. But since modern economies run on hydrocarbons, deep mutual ambivalences get exposed and tested.

The story turns on all the conflicts these ambivalences entail. How does police-work happen in such a deeply repressive regime? Or does it happen at all? The finale tells us the folly of "policing" as an anti-terrorism policy - the same Clintonian policy that failed so spectacularly on 9/11, which President Hillary would revive through her foreign policy adviser Richard Holbrooke.

Will we let history repeat? Together with "United 93" and "A Mighty Heart," this is the most important political film released in theaters you can see since 9/11. See it, grasp it, and vote accordingly.