Berg struggles to blend rah-rah Top Gun heroics with spiky Bourne-style realism.
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09/20/07
The Kingdom (2007)
51
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:181
Fresh:92
Rotten:89
Average Rating:5.8/10
Consensus: While providing several top-notch action scenes, The Kingdom ultimately collapses under the weight of formula and muddled politics.
Theatrical Release:05-10-2007
Synopsis: Actor, writer, and director Peter Berg (FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS) delivers a fearless, action-packed political thriller with THE KINGDOM. Shot in the Middle East with unsettling immediacy, the hand-held... [More]
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman
Director: Peter Berg
Reviews for The Kingdom
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09/29/07
Intelligent films about US involvement in the Middle East can be counted on the broken fingers of one hand, and this one makes Syriana look like Citizen Kane.
10/05/07
A terrifically stupid film. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
10/05/07
Top Critichttp://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/film-23339226-details/The+Kingdom/filmReview.do?reviewId=23414945
10/05/07
Not quite as smart as it wants to be, and a better action movie than it is a political thriller, this is still a heart-pounding drama.
10/05/07
Top CriticAbsurdly gung-ho but no less enjoyable thriller, providing you don't take the flag-waving politics too seriously.
10/05/07
In twenty years this will look as subtle as an episode of "Love Thy Neighbour".
10/05/07
Simplistic in the extreme and riddled with clichés, the quality of its execution can't excuse the dubiousness of its premise.
10/02/07
Top CriticIt may feel a bit like CSI: Riyadh, but The Kingdom earns its keep when it addresses thorny political realities in the Gulf States through the milieu of a culture-clash thriller. Hard to excuse that banzai finale, though.
10/05/07
Top CriticMacho lunacy.
10/05/07
Rambo meets Syriana in this bloated action-thriller, which tries to be gung-ho and PC at the same time.
10/05/07
Top CriticIt's a frenetic, often incomprehensible film, full of rapid cutting, giant close-ups and muttered dialogue.
10/20/07
As a pure thriller, it's entertaining - but The Kingdom tries too hard to be a crowd-pleaser, and ends up standing in the shadows of better and more provocative movies.
10/05/07
Top CriticAnd that’s the problem. The Kingdom isn’t awful – the relentless pace, thumping soundtrack, twisting plot and shaky camera-work all see to that.
10/05/07
Think Team America with the radiators turned up....
10/05/07
If this mix doesn't entirely work, it's perhaps because there are so few surprises – the forensic elements of the investigation would be wrapped up in minutes by CSI's boffins. Still, it's possible to respect the effort while doubting the achievement.
10/05/07
Top CriticA cut above the bullish jingoism that would have characterised a film of this ilk at the beginning of this decade.
10/05/07
Top CriticWhere pic goes astray is in turning anonymous, indigenous peoples into ducks at a shooting gallery.
09/11/07
Top CriticTake some notes, Dubya: Jamie Foxx has the anti-terrorism tactics you've been craving.
09/20/07
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