Review of Three Kings (2011) by Peter G — 12 Jan 2010

Three Kings is something of an oddity. I've never seen a movie take place in a (decently) modern war setting and yet be so satirical about it. It feels very strange at first, but provides plenty of laughter.

The whole premise of the film is that four soldiers (George Clooney, Ice Cube, Mark Wahlberg and Spike Jonze) uncover a map that leads them to Kuwaiti gold that the Iraq Army is claiming for Saddam. Being selfish, the soldiers hatch a plan to ride over and use the cease fire to run in and steal everything.

Obviously their plan sort of backfires, but that would give too much away. What ensues is a thrill ride of interesting musical compositions, some great acting and a few intense action scenes. This is all wrapped up in comedy that is incredibly dark and often time makes you question if you'll be going to hell just for laughing.

George Clooney really steals the show here. His ability to be menacing, funny and quite the action star all at once is unparalleled. He even gets to put the moves on Judy Greer in the beginning, so I guess lover can be added on to the list. His career before hand took him to all stops and Three Kings really just blends all the best parts about Clooney together.

Mark Wahlberg actually turns in a respectable performance in this movie. His usual dumb sounding voice and lack of etiquette really work well with his soldier status. He knows just about as much as the viewer does about the war (unless you're a war buff) and it brings his interrogation scene to a hugely dramatic payoff.

Ice Cube gets some good lines and has the right kind of mentality to make you believe he is a devoted Christian. Spike Jonze definitely nails the part of hillbilly very well, too.

The direction by David O. Russell should be complimented. There are many scenes where color is distorted or the sky is sped up and it really brings the drama of war front and center. Yeah this movie isn't the most accurate (or sensitive) representation of what war is, but you definitely can understand how a singular minute can feel like forever in certain situations.

The music, for the most part, is ridiculously catchy. A lot of repeated drum beats and synth work are mixed with techno style sounds to really drive your adrenaline levels up. The action scenes are some of the best pieces ever put to film because of it.

The only real problem I sort of have with the movie is how it ends. Half way through the movie, the characters gain a conscience. While that is well and good, the movie doesn't really close on a bit of reality. Everything just works out, which is completely insane for what happened during the movie.

I also have to make mention of how worthless Nora Dunn's character is. Yeah she coincidentally helps the heroes, but her character does not contribute much to the movie other than curse words.

Even with that, Three Kings is a great film. It may not be the best war movie around or even a comedy that I could recommend to all, but George Clooney should be enough to seal the deal for questioning viewers.