Review of The Kingdom (2007) by Andrew — 27 Sep 2007

I am amazed at the negativity of the critics of this film. They seem to think that because a lot of terrorists are killed in the film, that it represents a form of psychological revenge that the audience will enjoy.

Careful viewing will show that the Muslim characters in this film are consistently many steps ahead of our heroes (the alleged Osama look-alike most of all) and that it is by admittedly somewhat hoaky action movie luck that any escape alive.

America is involved in the domestic affairs of countries like Saudi Arabia, and often that involvement leads to violence. Americans do need to see a positive portrayal of Muslims like Barhom's character to appreciate the sacrifice of those who, as a result of our actions, stand between our hatred and the hatred of some of their own people in order to serve their country.

As usual, many reviewers have viewed this film through a West-centric lens, refusing to see anything but Iraq and military frustration in a film that, while in many respects a conventional action movie, nevertheless has much more to say.