Review of Three Kings (2011) by Conner R — 15 Jun 2011

Three Kings manages to be one of the most original war movies ever made and still manages to be ahead of its time in terms of what it wants so say. This isn't just an anti-war message or a joke about the military itself; it truly asks important questions about what people value and what they will do simply because it is right. The common theme here is greed. Not just when it comes to the gold bullions, but just in terms of valuing certain people's lives over others. David O Russell just knows how to put on the right amount of teasing and comedy to make this digestible so it doesn't come off as sappy. More or less, this is extremely believable in terms of the story and characters; even though half of them are complete morons.

Mark Wahlberg gives one of his finest performances here as Troy Barlow; one of the most earnest soldiers who basically has no idea what is going on. He's just so naïve in terms of the political agenda, but at the same time has a better understanding of human life than anyone else. This is the kind of role that Mark Wahlberg works best in because his emotions are so believable and he just comes off as a living, breathing person; not a character. George Clooney as Gates is basically the opposite of Troy and is so numb and cynical about the world that it seems like he just doesn't care, but his true self becomes obvious when he sees the terrible situation that the Iraqis are in. George Clooney is great when he's able to be himself; unbelievably charming and salt and peppery. Ice Cube and Spike Jonze do a nice job here too and present some of the best comedic relief in the movie, but also bring some of the most dramatic moments too.

Visually, Three Kings is just unbelievable. It changes its style so many times depending on the emotion it wants to show off, but in no way does it ruin the experience for the viewer. In fact, it enhances the way we watch the movie and see everything. Some of the hand held sots look spooky and almost too close to a documentary, rather than fiction. The blending of this with sporadically intense scenes and moments in which we connect with these characters the most is so powerful and sets this apart from your straight-forward war movie.