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September 16, 2007

'The Kingdom': Smart political action thriller may make you think

Ashraf Barhom as Saudi Col. Al-Ghazi and Jamie Foxx as FBI agent Ronald Fluery in The Kingdom.

Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and the remarkable Palestinian actor Ashraf Barhom star in The Kingdom, a political thriller we saw tonight. It's smart, intense and shocking like the classic Battle of Algiers, but never lapses into propaganda. The film's title sequence offers a pictorial history of the Saudi kingdom from its inception in 1902 and the discovery of oil in 1938 to Osama bin Laden, signaling that this is more than a blow-'em-up flick.

An elite team of FBI investigators has just five days in Saudi Arabia to nail bombers who blew up dozens of American oil workers and their families during the company picnic. A developing friendship between the principled Saudi colonel Al-Ghazi, who's charged with keeping them safe, and Foxx's Special Agent Ronald Fluery becomes common ground for collaboration, and a standoff turns it into a real police investigation. (The colonel is played brilliantly by Ashraf Barhom, who should get an Oscar nomination for the role.)

The culture clash adds to the tension -- one team member is a woman, but this isn't the constant bad joke it could have been in this man's land. It's also funny at times. An unctuous U.S. diplomat couldn't be more of a lightweight. The colonel is shocked by the agents' foul language and wants to wash their mouths out with soap.

It all feels very real, the closeups with a handheld camera giving the film a documentary feel, even if the viewer at times gets lost in the chaos. The script isn't perfect, but the whole movie is so powerful it doesn't matter.

When the rockets start flying in the narrow streets, we're there in the violence, too.

The Kingdom doesn't offer pat solutions, even momentarily, but you may leave it thinking the police have better ways of tackling terrorism than politicians.The screening crowd seemed stunned as they filed out.

You want stars? 4 1/2 out of 5. The script didn't know how to start the movie, and the ending seems cobbled together, but the excellent middle makes up for both.

Helluva movie.

The Kingdom officially opens Sept. 28. (We noticed it in the projo movie listings as a sneak preview at Providence Place and the Showcases, tonight only.) See the trailer at the movie's official site. Rated R for graphic violence.

Posted by Sheila Lennon  at 1:22 AM | Permalink