FamilyFans Movies

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THE KINGDOM (R)

Plot Summary: Four American FBI agents journey to Saudi Arabia to investigate a terrorist attack and end up fighting to avoid being additional victims.

Reason for the Rating: Intense sequences of graphic brutal violence, as well as language.

Growing up, some friends of my family moved to Saudi Arabia. They lived on an international compound built for workers—along with their families—whose jobs demanded that they lived in “The Kingdom” but whose way of life did not fit within the strict Muslim law of the land. In these compounds, people were free to live just like they would in America—same foods, recreations, styles of clothing, etc.—but they only had this freedom inside the walls of the compound. Outside these walls, the world was very different. It was an interesting and at times intense situation for my friends, trying to live a Western lifestyle in the Middle East. Even at the time, I remember thinking, “What if something went wrong?”

Thankfully, our family friends returned home safe and sound, but in The Kingdom things do go wrong, very wrong. The movie opens upon a compound in Saudi Arabia very much like the one in which my friends lived. The screen depicts a group of Americans dressed in shorts and tank tops, playing a family-friendly baseball game and having a great time, even though a broader view of the situation shows that they are in the middle of Saudi Arabia. And an even broader view of that shows they are unknowingly in the middle of an impending terrorist attack. Even though the compound is heavily guarded, suddenly everything seems to fall apart. Men wearing police uniforms open fire on the baseball game, and what ensues is panic, terror and some huge explosions. After an intense several minutes, what's left is hundreds of dead and injured Americans in what is evidently the worst terrorist attack on Saudi Arabian soil.

And this is only how the movie begins.

The Kingdom centers around four FBI agents, led by Ronald Fleury (played by Jamie Foxx). The agents journey to Saudi Arabia to gather evidence about the attack. Though their trip is not sanctioned by the American State Department, Fleury talks and tricks his way into getting one of Saudi Arabia’s princes to endorse a visit. As a result, Fleury and three other agents (played by Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and Chris Cooper) make a trek to the Middle East hoping to find—and punish—the terrorists responsible for the deaths of so many Americans and one of their fellow FBI agents.

What follows is a suspenseful game of cat and mouse. No one really trusts anyone, and everyone is on edge. The Saudis don’t want to look incompetent or too pro-America and thus are reluctant to allow the FBI team to do much of anything. The Americans, on the other hand, don’t know whom to trust. After all, the attack was committed by imposters wearing the very same uniforms as the Saudi officer assigned to accompany the agents as they conduct their investigation. Clearly, someone has become a double-agent, and too much trust could be a matter of life and death.

Overall, The Kingdom is well-acted and dynamic. It’s definitely not a movie for kids, since it contains more graphic violence than I can remember seeing in a very, very long time. Adults, however, will most likely find much to enjoy in The Kingdom. When it comes down to giving a more nuanced review of this movie, though, I almost feel like I have to break it down into two different categories. It operates on two levels, and in my opinion one works and one doesn’t.

The first category would be the classic “action/suspense movie.” As far as this type of film is concerned, The Kingdom is amazing. The plot is thrilling, suspenseful and engaging. In fact, I was so involved in this movie that I never once even glanced at my watch. (Something that I do in almost every movie I see—I have quite a short attention span.) I was completely caught up in the action happening onscreen, especially in the last half of the film. It’s violent, bloody, and completely gripping. I’m hesitant to use too many clichés here, but it’s worth pointing out that I actually started biting my nails as I watched. As an action thriller, The Kingdom does not disappoint. 

Unfortunately, there’s a whole other category audiences have to deal with when watching this film. I call this the “preachy message movie.” I understand that because the attack takes place on Saudi Arabian soil and because Americans are sent to investigate, it would be impossible not to raise some current hot-button issues, especially in today’s international climate. The whole introduction sets up a bit of an “Us vs. Them” dichotomy, and this theme is drawn upon several times throughout the film. However, The Kingdom is preachy without success. It doesn’t get much of a message across because the true issues that could lead to situations like the one in the film are never really explored or explained. Instead, it is almost as if the filmmakers “used” the current state of affairs between the Middle East and the Western world in order to give their action film a hook—something to sell tickets and make the adventure and the thrills more meaningful. It’s an interesting idea, but it comes off being a little too trite for such a grave situation. The Kingdom fails when it tries to add this type of thing to the thrills. Successfully blending the issues in with the action would take a lot of skill and delicacy and a balance which the makers of this film didn’t achieve.

In the end, The Kingdom is simply a much better action movie than message movie. I wish they would’ve just kept it at that. But even so, it’s still a pretty intense film, and because it kept my attention so well, I have to say I enjoyed it..

FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:

If you’re in the mood for some amazing action and suspense and aren’t bothered by gruesome and graphic violence, The Kingdom will not disappoint.

AFTER THE SHOW: 

• What does this movie teach us about the similarities of all people, regardless of culture?

• This movie deals with the idea of different people being on God’s side and doing things in the name of faith. How did this make you feel? What do you think Jesus would have to say about these issues?

• Why is it important to get to know people before we judge them? How does the movie help reinforce this idea?

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