[view trailer] THIS FILM IS psychologically demanding, evoking intense and conflicting emotions. It is a 'thriller' and as such, is meant to keep you anxious. Strongly skewed to current events, The Kingdom scripting is a rough ride. It is set in the Middle East in a place far from home and our way of life, the contrast shocking and distinctly uninviting.
A brief montage attempts an overview history lesson of Arabia. It touches on some of the high points, to help today's audiences with the mid-nineteenth century surprise of petroleum discoveries in a previously impoverished region, nearly devoid of technology. Those, to whom these news clips were unknown, may be inspired to return home and study this little understood region with its myriad cultures and challenges.
The film's opening sequence of morning activities in the American compound at Riyadh is populated with happy families. Baseball game in progress, the picnic in the park setting is at ground level. By contrast, an Arabian man stands on a high balcony several blocks removed, encouraging what may be his grandson to peer through a sighting scope on a tripod. As I begin to feel dread for what would obviously follow, the scenes stretch out, lingering on laughing children, in slow motion as my breathing becomes shallow. I took a deep breath.
After all, I knew the subject matter of this film. I chose to see it for mixed reasons. I was simply unprepared for the presentation style. As the inevitable begins, the cameras follow the children, the parents. These scenes overall, are difficult to watch. Finally, one of the men makes a call on his cell phone to his friend in America who he thinks can help them.
Jump to Jamie Foxx as Ronald Fleury, in his son's schoolroom. We remain with him, as his character navigates Washington bureaucracy, provoking a proper response to the bombing 'incident' the upper echelons wish to sweep under the media saturated carpet.
Fleury's team goes to investigate this one problem involving American citizens in the Middle East. The scripting is rapid-fire, the events developing organically, with filming techniques resembling clips seen on the 6:00 o'clock news—not for the faint-hearted. Our era, dubbed a post 9-11 global community, is as volatile as ever. I'm not sure these films should even be released, given the impossible framing of extremely complex issues in a mere two hours.
Jamie Foxx gives a superlative performance as a veteran field operative for the FBI. His fellow forensic team members presented similarly excellent portrayals. Chris Cooper gave one of his best performances as the savvy, common sense voice of probabilities. Jennifer Garner, back in buff shape, turned in, overall, a gritty depiction of a forensic analyst with field experience.
Far and away, the premium fit to a character was Ashraf Barhom, engaging the viewer, creating a strong attachment by end of story. He plays an Arabian equivalent of a chief-of-police, elegance and know-how framing his work. The chemistry between him and Jamie Foxx is memorable.
The kindred spirit premise is meant to remind us of the commonalities of the ordinary people of all cultures, the similarities of the troops in harm's way and the street-wise officers that hold the line against violence in residential areas. The cast is rather large, broadly ethnic, as is the production, thusly the strength of the film, which carries you relentlessly to a breath-stopping finish.
Now, weeks later, the subject matter of The Kingdom still reverberates in my mind. Its script is a bite-size, cinematic effort at analyzing a single chain of related events. It does not necessarily attempt to achieve comprehension of the bigger picture, 'the axis of terror,' although it is implied. Removed from today's reality of Iraq, nonetheless we recognize the similarities in the streets of this narrative.
A film like The Kingdom moves in a narrow gray zone between further proliferation of fear-mongering hatred and an effort to convey a moral to the story. Does it warrant distribution throughout the world? I'm still not sure if the ending offsets the limits of this story. It was a responsible decision to hold the film until the end of September. Members of the audience in the viewing I attended cheered and hollered after particularly intense scenes—releasing tension, or genuinely comfortable with the outcomes, it's hard to say.
I am uncomfortable with quick, exploitive storytelling of current events, especially those stemming from exceptionally complex issues. Admirable as the motivation may be to convey some of today's most frightening realities in a two-hour time frame, to me, the result is an anecdotal depiction of these volatile environments.
As the final scenes of The Kingdom close, we are reminded of our similar mindsets. It remains to be seen whether we will all be able to somehow shed the eons of anger, the older legacies of fear. Will our country lead the world to global freedom—from our shared heritage? This film did not leave me with that hope, although it clearly states the problem.
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Reviews are © Carol Lane Patterson and reprinted with permission.
