Others say...

"PETER BERG, OPUS 4"
** 2007. Directed by Peter Berg. When a terrorist attack kills dozens of American citizens in Saudi Arabia, four FBI agents are sent to Ryadh to find out who's responsible for the killing. Very weak effort from a director who gave us Very Bad Things, Friday Night Lights (Widescreen Edition) and The Rundown (Widescreen Edition) a few years ago. The camera work is ridiculous, the screenplay inept and the message conveyed by the film questionable to say the least. I felt like watching a 110 minutes long episode of CSI:Ryadh, it's as simple as that. Inadvisable.

"one of best movies in years"
I rate this move as tops. If you liked black hawk down, this should be down your alley. Excellant film, filmed in Abu Dabi and everythings looks authentic...Jamie Foxx does a wonderful job acting...I enjoyed the plot, the bad guys were bad, the good guys were good. Suspenseful, action packed, almost too fast moving...I watched second time to pick up details I missed first time...glad I bought this movie as will watch many times.


"Witness in the Desert"
This is a solid movie well-worth seeing.

Ever seen The Witness? Harrision Ford finds himself in an Amish community, having to learn their ways and abide by their rules? You get a lot of that in The Kingdom, but it is done in very interesting and compelling ways.

As if mimicking stories from the headlines, the movie follows four FBI agents as they try to solve a number of terrorist actions in Saudi Arabia. They have five days but they're not allowed to work at night, they can't touch anything, especially Muslim bodies, and they have to be guarded at all times. The real story is how they overcome all of these restrictions and get the job done.

All of the performances are top-notch and believable. The story is well-crafted and tense. I actually watched it twice in one day and was just as drawn into it the second time as I was the first.

The biggest drawback to the movie is its name! We've got The Kingdom, The Kingdom of Heaven, the Forbidden Kingdom, and Indiana Jone's Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, to name a few.

The Kingdom (that's this movie) should be on your list for what to watch this weekend.

"Fox & co fight the the terrorists in HD"
It's too bad that this fine action/themed film did not get it's due at the box office. Well directed by actor Peter Berg who also does a small cameo in this flick, the cast is well served by Oscar winners Jamie Fox & Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner (Alias) and Jason Bateman as FBI agents sent to the Middle East to investigate a bombing which took the lives of civilians, American and Arabs, alike by a terrorist group. The tension is high throughout and the transfer to HD is excellent. Fox more than makes up for his previous bummer, "Stealth", with this winner.

"A Superb Thriller"
From its opening scenes, depicting the Kingdom of Saud and its turbulent modern history following the discovery of oil in its barren deserts, THE KINGDOM sets the table for a white-knuckling political/cultural thriller. And director Peter Berg (so outstanding with 'Friday Night Lights') delivers a keeper, as an elite FBI team of investigators travels into the American compound in Riyadh to investigate the recent slaughter of numerous U.S. citizens--ostensibly perped by terrorists. Berg successfully sets the pace, tone, and tension between the FBI team and their Saudi hosts, then moves the viewer full tilt into a hair-raising climactic action sequence that never takes its foot off the gas.

The cast is topnotch, headlined by Jamie Foxx as the FBI field commander. Foxx is tough, no-nonsense, machismo, yet periodically lets down his guard to show a rippling of emotion and compassion. Jennifer Garner plays the investigative team's forensics expert (and plays it convincingly), while FBI specialists Chris Cooper and Justin Bateman get to share the film's best lines. Country crooner Tim McGraw is impressive in an extremely emotional cameo role, yet this cast is most enhanced by the performance of Ashraf Barhom. Playing a Colonel in the Saudi national police--a Colonel in charge of the team's security--Barhom represents the contrast between his Arab culture and the West. The tension is established from the onset, yet the story delves deep enough into Barhom's character to reveal a humane man with only the best, most honorable intentions.

This is a brutal, violent film--a film with an ending that will definitely raise eyebrows. Yet when it comes to heart-pounding action, intrigue, and suspense--with a story that sprints to the finish line--THE KINGDOM is a thriller as good as it gets.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning