Today’s quick review: The Kingdom. Following a devastating terrorist attack on an American base in Saudi Arabia, FBI agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) takes his team—Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner), Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman), and Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper)—to Riyadh to investigate. There the Americans must cooperate with Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom) to solve the crime while facing political pressure from both countries to go home.
The Kingdom is a crime thriller about an FBI team hunting for the terrorists responsible for an attack on US citizens in Saudi Arabia. The Kingdom takes a close look at the logistics of a terrorist investigation and the complexity of US-Saudi relations. This dry, realistic foundation supports the rest of the story: a solid race against time that features a strong dramatic lineup, a decent story, and a smattering of action.
The Kingdom mainly concerns itself with the details of the investigation, which shows off the specialities of Fleury and his team quite nicely. The political dimension also gets plenty of play. Fleury and his team are unwelcome guests in a foreign country, and they must fight for ever scrap of evidence so they can bring the killers to justice. Capping it all off is a couple of tense, crisp action scenes that serve as the film’s payoff.
The downside to the film’s grounded drama is that there isn’t much room for anything outside of the investigation. The characters are credible and acted well, but their personal arcs are minimal. Nor does the plot have much in the way of mystery for the audience; which specific terrorist was behind the attack only matters to the characters. Likewise, there’s only enough action to punctuate the movie, not to carry it.
Still, The Kingdom’s solid craftsmanship and unusually realistic treatment of its subject matter make it a good pick for anyone who’s interested in the premise. However, it won’t be a perfect fan for devoted action fans or those who prefer escapist movies. For another dramatic thriller about Middle Eastern politics, try Traitor or Body of Lies. For a similarly grounded look at the drug trade, try Traffic.
7.0 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it the same for high overall execution quality, but without the personal touch needed to go farther.