Review of The Kingdom (2007) by Craig E — 16 Jun 2009

A fairly by-the-numbers investigatory film that happens to be set in the Middle East. Most of the time it feels as if it's moving from plot point A to B to C with little connection in between. Not to say it isn't gripping. But one can't help but feel it could have been so much more.

Probably the most spectacular work on this film is from cinematographer Mauro Fiore who makes every single camera shot just blow your eyes out. One cannot watch this film and not be in awe at how it looks because it is just gorgeous.

Of course the cinematography is backed by Peter Berg's astute direction. He not only draws out fantastic visuals but clearly knows how to get a cast to put everything out there. And the cast is clearly top notch between Foxx, Cooper, Garner and the new to American audiences Ashraf Barhom who is wonderful to watch. Unfortunately I find Jason Bateman's playing in his safe-zone character type to be getting a little boring now and it was rather distracting to not see a character so much as simply seeing Jason Bateman.

Of course, everybody is going to bring their own political ideologies -- whether well thought out or reactionary -- to the table on this type of subject matter. I know that I simply felt like I was watching your typical tale of when worlds collide. It shows that humans are nothing more than human no matter what part of the world you are from. Our passions are the same and our frustrations are the same.

It is interesting that I watched this the night after I watched Gran Torino, another film that deals with people of opposing cultures being brought together by tragedy and realizing how alike they are. However, while Gran Torino had wonderfully developed characters and situations that were very unique, The Kingdom is somewhat stale in comparison with characters that aren't flushed out well and situations that are a little too predictable.

There really isn't too much that can be said that is outstanding in either direction. There's nothing that makes this a bad film, but there's nothing that makes it a particularly memorable film. It's worth checking out for the visuals and the performances and the sometimes gripping action. But, don't expect a rich, dense story because it simply isn't there.