the Mind’s Chew Toy

Back when The Kingdom first hit theaters, I thought the preview looked pretty good…and figured Jamie Foxx, ex-”Alias” star Jennifer Garner and Chris Cooper would do a good job in the film…but I was unsure how funnyman Jason Bateman would do in a more serious role. Still, I wanted to check it out, so added it to my Blockbuster.com queue.

I only recently finally received the film (after it was listed as “long wait” for weeks - guess I wasn’t the only one waiting for this one on DVD), and couldn’t wait to check it out. Would it turn out to be as good as the previews made it look, or would this be just another war-zone film that would be soon forgotten?

Jamie Foxx, who shocked viewers - and showed a real depth to his acting - with his impressive portrayal of Ray Charles in Ray a few years back, has mostly gone back to shooting action genre films (ie Stealth and the like) since. With The Kingdom, he manages to portray a character with some depth while not staying in the line of fire. His character seems pretty basic on the surface - an FBI agent looking for revenge on foreign soil - but he manages to bring a bit more depth to the character. While it’s not his best role, it certainly hints that Ray wasn’t a fluke. He can act - he just usually does a good job of hiding it.

Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner are a bit wasted in The Kingdom, and their characters seem to be around for one interesting sequence, then filtered more into generalistic army commando terms. With Cooper, that involves his character pushing the limits of what this US team is allowed to do on foreign soil; with Garner, it’s more about being a strong woman in a country that is unable to accept the idea that women in other countries aren’t submissive.

Jason Bateman seems largely out of place when looking at the cast list for The Kingdom, but director Peter Berg knows his actors, and delegates Bateman to mostly being the comic relief when needed, then delegates him to a non-speaking role when the action heats up. Definitely a good move on Berg’s part, as Bateman’s ability to be an action hero still seems largely in doubt.

The plot is really what sets The Kingdom apart from other films. When a violent attack occurs on American workers working in Saudi Arabia, the tension-filled partnership between Saudi Arabia and the US is put to the test. The FBI wants to send a team; the Saudis don’t want outside interference. Watching the two sides first clash, then slowly begin to realize they need each other to track down the terrorists they both want is definitely the highpoint of the film, and Berg does a great job of showing this slow coming together of the two sides.

That doesn’t mean that Berg has left out the action - far from it. Whether it’s the violent attack that triggers the situation, a high-speed attack on a car convoy or a battle free-for-all amongst the streets, Berg keeps the intensity of the film going throughout. There is definitely never a dull moment in The Kingdom.

The Kingdom is a very plot-driven action film, something that can’t be said for a lot of action films these days. While it’s characters are decent, it’s the clashing cultures of these two very different countries that make the film rise above the pack. True, none of the actors perform up to expectations, but the movie actually does better because of it, as the viewer isn’t distracted by one stellar performance - the whole cast comes together to give a real sense of reality to the situation.

From it’s violent beginning to it’s troubling finale, this trip to The Kingdom is both intense and thought-provoking -and definitely worth a look on DVD.