by JOAN SOLEY


Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
FBI and Saudi police walk through the American compound.

Director Peter Berg, writer of the TV series “Friday Night Lights,” and an actor with a lengthy resume, might be ready to direct a Hollywood mega-film–but he has tackled a subject too large his first time out of the gate. “The Kingdom” has great potential, but some stark flaws, namely making a movie about Saudi Arabia through American eyes and the casting of Jamie Foxx.

Ronald Fleury (Foxx), is supposed to be a member of an “elite FBI team sent to find a killer.” Wrong; Foxx is the lead mouthpiece of a group of four (including Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman) that become embroiled in a hunt for a supposedly known terrorist. The issue here is bold and current. Is this a political movie involving the current themes daily news is made of? Or is this a movie about a “killer” — politics aside? As the backdrop is clear, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the characters state their hunt is for a “bin Laden wannabe,” the movie should have been as focused. If it walks like a duck, and sounds like a duck, it should be a duck; instead the movie drifts with plot weaknesses.

The confusion stems from the mixing of history with a modern perspective. The movie is roughly based on the 1996 bombing of a U.S. military compound in Khobar Towers, resulting in the death of 19 Americans and the injury of hundreds of others from different nationalities. The FBI did send a team to Saudi Arabia to investigate, and the aftermath resulted in tumultuous times for Saudi-U.S. relations and hundreds of arrests made by the Saudi government. Why was that story not told?


Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
The Kingdom stars Jennifer Garner as Janet Mayes, Ali Suliman as Sgt Haytham, Jamie Foxx as Ronald Fluery and Chris Cooper as Grant Sykes.

The final flaw, which might be a case of personal opinion, is the casting of Foxx and the character he plays. Foxx is capable of great acting, which leaves a viewer with the conclusion that the writer/director wanted him to act the part as a swaggering, foul-mouthed, big-man-on-campus type. Cringe-worthy exchanges, such as “I have to go catch some bad guys,” and “Which side do you think Allah’s on?” are more Rambo than need be.

The movie does a superlative job in several ways, to give credit where it is due: it is a well-shot action movie, rich in explosives and gun battles. If you take away any concerns of “how realistic is this?” you can follow the car chases with enthusiasm. The opening sequence is a cinematic victory, giving a timeline of U.S.-Saudi relations for the past 80 years in about five minutes. If only politicians knew that trick.

Actor Chris Cooper, as always, does a fabulous job of adding to a movie’s texture by being a solid co-lead. The moments of humor added by Jeremy Piven, playing a U.S. Embassy official named Damon Schmidt, are welcome. Piven’s character is tightly-wound and the quips are appropriate where delivered. The true stars of the movie are the actors portraying the Saudis — the police, military, royal family and terrorists have all been well-cast. Their roles are not over the top, and appear more realistic in comparison to Foxx’s over-blown character.

“The Kingdom” was filmed primarily in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Its release has been banned in Kuwait and Bahrain, the latter a progressive ally of the United States. Reasons were not given by Bahrain officials. The Khaleej Times of Dubai reported that a source at the cinema committe of Kuwait’s information ministry told AFP that “The screening of the film has been banned in Kuwait for many reasons, chiefly because it is a false depiction of facts.”

For more information, and to read articles mentioned, please see:

Two Gulf states ban US film on Saudi bombing

Christopher tours Saudi bomb wreckage

Visit the movie’s site to view the trailor.