Movie Review:
The Kingdom

Sean Hilgeman

Not all is well in the Kingdom: terrorists have instigated a devastating suicide attack against an American compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing and wounding hundreds of people, mostly Americans. 

In response, the FBI sends an elite team of special agents to track down those responsible for planning the assault and bring them to justice before they can strike again.  But in trying to solve one act of terrorism, will they become the targets of another?

That is the basic set-up behind “The Kingdom”, the latest movie from Peter Berg and based on the events surrounding the Riyadh compound bombing in 2003.  Some liberties were taken in this recounting of one of the deadliest attacks on American civilians that year, but the film’s quality helps make up for its historical inaccuracy. 

The movie begins with a Complete Idiot’s Guide version of the relationship between America and Saudi Arabia before showing the attack in all its brutal intensity.   At points throughout the movie the camera almost takes on a documentary-like style, which helps add to the dramatic effect.  Though Berg makes use of the “shaky cam” effect it never gets as overused as some other movies (*cough*Bourne*cough*).

The acting was spot-on for the cast as well, which is something you’d expect from actors like Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper, but special mention should go to Ashraf Barhom’s Colonel Al-Ghazi, creating a very believable Saudi counterpart to Foxx’s Special Agent Fleury. 

There was also a surprising amount of amusing humor as well, which helped to balance out the scenes of disturbing violence, especially the fighting in the movie’s fiery climax.