Movie Review: The Kingdom

Well, my readers (all three of you) know about my taste for destruction, so The Kingdom was a natural choice for me to see this weekend. And boy, was I ever not disappointed.

One it starts, it doesn't stop. It doesn't waste time with a lot of backstory, just a run-down of American and Saudi relations throughout the 20th century and now. In fact, there almost wasn't enough backstory. I did have some trouble following who was who, but who cares? We all know from Alias that everyone likes watching Jennifer Garner kicking ass, and that's what you get in the last half hour or so of the film.

Jamie Fox and Chris Cooper (Jarhead buddies) return to reprise almost the same roles in The Kingdom. If it works, it works.

I read one review in the OC Post that lambasted the film for it's pro-American overtones (undertones are too subtle), saying that the film boils down to white guy vs. brown guy. Frankly, I didn't see it that way. Half the heroes of the movie are Saudi's, including Saudi royalty. They even made a point of humanizing the bad guys.

The movie lacks the subtle finesse of the film greats, but when you are paying $8 a ticket for entertainment, The Kingdom delivers. It obviously wants you to feel pity for the innocent American children who had their softball game blown up (no joke) and it obviously wants to make a point that this isn't about color. It was about revenge and blowing stuff up. Get your popcorn and soda and enjoy.