World Famous Comics: The Kingdom (Widescreen Edition)
The Kingdom (Widescreen Edition)
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Binding: DVD Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC Label: Universal Studios Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: December 26, 2007 Running Time: 110 minutes Theatrical Release Date: September 28, 2007
Product Description: "A High-Octane Action Movie." -A. O. Scott The New York TimesOscar® winners Jamie Foxx (Collateral) and Chris Cooper (Breach) and Golden Globe® winners Jennifer Garner (Daredevil) and Jason Bateman (Smokin' Aces) ignite the screen in this high-intensity thriller about a team of elite FBI agents sent to Saudi Arabia to solve a brutal mass murder and find a killer before he strikes again. Out of their element and under heavy fire the team must join forces with their Saudi counterparts. As these unlikely allies begin to unlock the secrets of the crime scene the team is led into a heart-stopping do-or-die confrontation.System Requirements:Runnig Time: 110 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/TERRORISM Rating: R UPC: 025195005920 Manufacturer No: 61100766
Amazon.com: Set in Saudi Arabia, The Kingdom is a political action thriller with good acting and wonderful visuals. Its so-so script, though, at times meanders aimlessly until a good explosion jolts the viewer's attention back to the screen. Jamie Foxx stars as FBI special agent Ronald Fleury, who leads an elite team into Saudi Arabia to find the terrorists who attacked American employees working in the Middle East. He has been given the unlikely deadline of five days to infiltrate the compound, with just his wit and his crew, which includes forensics expert Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), explosives guru Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), and intelligence analyst Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman). It's unclear how helpful smarmy U.S. diplomat Damon Schmidt (Jeremy Piven) will be, but Fleury knows enough to surmise that the media-hungry Schmidt might not be completely trustworthy. Foxx and Garner have wonderful screen presence, but it's Bateman and Piven who get the best lines. Director Peter Berg peppers The Kingdom with actors he has worked with in the past. Berg, who guest-starred on Alias opposite Garner, casts Tim McGraw in a small role here. (The country singer also had a co-starring role in Berg's 2004 film Friday Night Lights.) And Kyle Chandler and Minka Kelly--two of Berg's lead actors from the Friday Night Lights television series, , make appearances in The Kingdom. The action sequences he creates are impressive and generate a sense of panic that The Kingdom producer Michael Mann (Miami Vice) undoubtedly applauds. While a tauter script would've rounded out the action nicely, the action in many cases does speak for itself. --Jae-Ha Kim
Walked away with little insight .... but a great emotional ride. I just finished watching this... and it was powerful. Not very educational but the struggles in each characters life is heart felt. I was very upset at the death of a particular officer towards the end. I guess it goes to show that war is never ending. It is wired into human nature and though our emotions are so resistant....it is a given fact of the laws of survival. But all we are saying ...is give peace a chance.
Entertaining but not deep... Just taken as an action flic the film marginally succeeds as the battle sequences are very good. In fact much of the style of the film is reminiscent of a Tony Scott/Ridley Scott/Michael Mann (not surprisingly) with high color contrasts, lots of closeups and a grainy-ness to the picture quality...Unlike some I was not put off by the hand held camera work in this film...the latest Bourne film was MUCH worse than this both in terms of shakiness of the camera and speed of editorial cuts... Acting wise here you don't get much...none of the characters is highly developed but then again none of the actors give a sub-par performance...just average, collect the paycheck and go home acting... The plot was decent up until someone demanded that a politically correct ending be tacked on, throwing the whole emotional resonance of the film out of whack...Worth viewing once...
Fun: Would make a good TV Series CAUTION: This isn't really a (traditional) review - more like a speculative response - so if you are looking for another review you might want to just skip this. (Spoilers also.)
I saw this on HBO yesterday. (I had never heard of it!) (I know I lead a sheltered life.) To me it had the look and feel of a 'made for TV movie' (and I don't mean that in a bad way). I thought it was a pilot for a new sort of FBI/CSI procedural series. (Wishful thinking?)
I think it would be quite good though - just as that - as a TV series - hour long - doesn't need to be Jamie Foxx - although he was okay - doesn't need to be Jenifer Garner although she was fun - but Ashrof Barhom was fantastic - the guy was great - and so was Chris Cooper. (No one delivers a line like Chris Cooper!)
But really, couldn't this be a good TV series? Bring back (really they must!) Ashrof Barhom's character (with him playing it of course)(just write it as his death was faked) - put him on as an adviser to the team - defintely keep Chris Cooper's character (with Chris Cooper playing the role of course) - maybe he would be better as the leader of the team - fly them around the world as a special FBI team - punch up Janet Mayes - more cultural stuff - (with or without Jenifer Garner in the role - there are others I am sure who would be ok in the role but Jenifer Garner did a fine job as a sort of tough-guy Wonderwoman/Ripley(from Aliens)character) and we could see Adam Leavitt (with or without Bateman) be a lot more sophisitcated and involved with computers and wise-cracking.
Wouldn't a TV series with Chris Cooper and Ashrof Barhom be a smash hit - maybe they wouldn't be open to doing a TV series (movie careers and all that)but there really seems to be a lot of potential here for the small screen.
It could still be called The Kingdom - just send the team into assorted Mid-east countries with Ashrof Barhom's character as the guide and adviser.
With all CSIs rapidly self-destructing - there is really an opening for just this kind of series!
I think it would be good!
JMO
another terrorist story
This movie had a plot that was pretty boring if I can be honest. I wasn't really interested in the fast pace or the "hurry up and force the viewers into the storyline while all kinds of confusing violence and people screaming goes on in the background" way of writing. The actors and actresses played their parts really good, but it can't save a storyline that isn't interesting. Plus, as another reviews mentions, it's just typical war prapaganda. How many times are we going to see movies like this? I've had enough of them. All the subtitles you have to read are more trouble than they're worth. Enough is enough.
DVD Skips This DVD stops and jumps at least 3 times in the playing. I am very disappointed as I really enjoyed this movie and wanted to see it again at my convenience. The disc is flawed however and I am not getting what I wanted out of it.
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
