The Kingdom (15)

Film

Thrillers

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Time Out rating:

<strong>Rating: </strong>1/5

User ratings:

<strong>Rating: </strong>4/5
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Time Out says

Mon Oct 1 2007

A terrifically stupid film, this Middle East-set actioner thinks it’s ‘Syriana’ but plays like ‘Black Hawk Down’. The drama begins with a car-bomb attack on a fortified compound in Saudi Arabia that’s populated by the employees of an American oil company. That tragedy causes the FBI to send in a four-person crack team – Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman – who act like violent outlaws to get the job done, defying the protestations of oily US diplomat Jeremy Piven (playing his character in ‘Entourage’). The film may offer a dig at the US government’s foreign policy, but this is in favour of a far more brutal, interventionist approach. And the attempt in the final scenes to balance out the pain and suggest that we’re all suffering equally on this planet – especially babies – would be laughable if it wasn’t so horribly cynical. At the preview screening I attended, there was a drunk middle-aged woman whooping every time an American kicked ass. Just imagine how the 15-year-olds in Ohio will react. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
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Release details

Rated:

15

UK release:

Fri Oct 5, 2007

Duration:

110 mins

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Comments & ratings

Rated as: 4/5 (18 ratings)
  • There are heroes in here, the Americans are the heroes. I think this movie clearly shows that not all people are the middle east are terrorists. It also shows that the families of the the terrorists are messed up like none other.

    Yessir Wed Sep 3 2008
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  • I thought it was a well paced film, with good action scenes, All my friends and I have enjoyed it a lot.

    Mark Sun Jul 6 2008
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • brownsugar...you sound like an air stewardess. keep up the good work

    harjio Sun Feb 3 2008
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  • Total and utter garbage. When visiting another country as a guest of it's government you behave in a relevant manner. You don't break all protocols and generally disregard their faith and hospitality. For someone to have risen to a point in the FBI where they are on first name terms with the Attorney General without learning discretion, tact and manners is laughable.

    Steve Mon Jan 28 2008
    Rated as: 1/5
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  • saudi arabia dose not allow to shoot a movie.then where was this movie shooted?

    jerry ashar Wed Nov 14 2007
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  • I agree with Christi C - this critic missed the subtext. He went into the movie expecting a mindless action flick and that's all he saw. The fact that the film was dripping with irony completely passed him by.

    Tom R Mon Nov 5 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • this film was disappointing. after the thoughtful drama SYRIANA I was expecting more of the same. Instead we had an insult to our intelligent. It was pretty typical of what passes for an intelligent film from Hollywood these days... but the politics were lazy and also some of the action was hilarious... the bungled assasination attempt on Jason Bateman was very funny... "oh sheet, my camera is broken, oh no the angle is wrong!"... Only the conclusion "the whisper vs the words on a dying man's lips" spelt out this naive film's manifesto... Jamie Foxx's teams entry into Saudi was also fudged... total rubbish... The action was OK... Foxx was mumbly and boring like in Miami Vice... Only the Saudi Police Sgt was worth a mention.... lazy film that's way bigger than it's boots

    ed Sun Oct 28 2007
    Rated as: 2/5
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  • Great Movie. Deserves a better rating.

    Ingrid Mayegibo Sun Oct 28 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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  • Picked this out late in a field of lame runners in the Vue cinema starting gate on Wednesday, and it's an entertaining film, Well paced and contrary to all the trainee camermen who have revued it I thought the camera work emphasised the edgy nervy state you would be in in such a situation. I thought that farf rom being patronising the scenes portraying the everyday life of the Saudis were believable and sensitively played out.

    Cpt Ralph Thu Oct 25 2007
    Rated as: 4/5
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  • If U want to watch just a great action film and not expecting any politically challenging plot, then "Kingdom" is the best ever. U will understand how the terrorist work and see what can really happen... I am givin this film 6 stars

    Karl Mon Oct 22 2007
    Rated as: 5/5
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