The Kingdom

[Hunter Rider]

Since the old thread was wiped during the re-indexing last weekend i thought i'd make a new one

http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=14812

Release Date: September 28, 2007
Studio: Universal Pictures
Director: Peter Berg
Screenwriter: Matthew Michael Carnahan
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven, Danny Huston, Richard Jenkins
Genre: Thriller

Plot Summary: Director Peter Berg, who blisteringly reinterpreted the high-school sports drama with the celebrated "Friday Night Lights," producer Michael Mann, who has defined the high-tension crime genre for more than a decade, ("Heat," "Collateral," "Miami Vice") and producer Scott Stuber ("You, Me and Dupree," "The Break-Up") join Oscar winner Jamie Foxx in a timely thriller about the explosive clash that happens when Middle East meets West: "The Kingdom."

Foxx stars as whip-smart FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury, who has just received the assignment of his career: assemble an elite team (played by Jennifer Garner, Oscar winner Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman) to hunt down and capture the terrorist mastermind responsible for a deadly attack on Americans working in Saudi Arabia. The feds have only one week to infiltrate and cripple a cell bent on jihad to western society.

No training could prepare Fleury and his team for the disorienting culture shock they face once inside this scorching foreign land, byzantine maze of politicians, storefront terrorists and double-crossing businessmen who traffic in profiteering and exploit any opportunity to grow ever richer, no matter the human cost. Bound by handlers who refuse to play ball with the U.S., the agents quickly find the local law enforcement more hindrance than help and soon grow uncertain of anybody's allegiance.

But when a sympathetic Saudi police captain helps them navigate Riyadh politics and investigate the true cause of the attack, Fleury finds an unexpected comrade-in-arms. In their lightning fast attempt to crack the case, the partners search leads them straight to the killer's front door. Now in a fight for their own lives, two teams on opposite sides of the war on terror won't stop until vengeance is found in "The Kindgom."

Trailer

http://www.apple.com/trailers/universal/thekingdom/hd/

 

[Hunter Rider]

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/32278

When A Spyyyyyyy Loves THE KINGDOM...


Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here.

... he can’t keep his mind on nothin’ else. He’ll brave the talkbacks if they put it down.

Seriously, this guy flipped out for this movie. Peter Berg’s always been a solid filmmaker, in my opinion, and his earlier films like THE RUNDOWN or (especially) FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS certainly have their fans.

So did he knock it out of the ballpark with this one? Check out what one viewer had to say:

Spoiler

(Note - if you're the type that hates positive reviews, you might want to skip this. I consider this one of the best films I've seen in recent memory and will likely top my "Best of 2007" list)

Tonight in Sherman Oaks was a test screening of Peter Berg's THE KINGDOM. I don't know if this was the first test screening for the film or not. The guy who usually tells us whether we are "the first to see it" or "one of the first" or "the first west coast audience" or "the only people left in California who haven't seen this already" (I think that ones just for Knocked Up though) skipped that part entirely.

Either way it was the most 'finished' film I have ever seen for a test screening. Other than the temp score (which was from Berg's own Friday Night Lights, or at least other (equally great) Explosions in the Sky music, the final will be Danny Elfman), the film was finished as far as my eyes could tell. We even got a full blown opening credits sequence, which itself was just as excellent as the rest of the film. In addition to learning that being in two scenes (Jeremy Piven) can get you billed over a guy that's on camera throughout almost the entire movie (Ashraf Barhom), we are given a sort of recap of the history of oil and in turn our relationship with Saudi Arabia, via stock footage, graphics, etc. It's a fantastic opener, I almost wanted to applaud it.

Luckily the rest of the film was just as compelling. After a multi-stage attack on Saudi soil that leaves several Americans dead, a group of American FBI agents (Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman) fly over to Saudi Arabia (without official permission from the FBI or the Saudi government) to investigate the bombing and try to find those responsible. They are aided by Colonel Al-Ghazi (Barhom), who at first seems to be trying to prevent them from doing their job but is in reality just trying to keep them from upsetting the wrong people. Eventually he aids their investigation and becomes a useful ally.

The most surprising thing about the movie is how short it is. It clocks in at under 1:45, which is unheard of for a political thriller. At one point a character is put in extreme jeopardy (think Daniel Pearl), and one would assume that he/she will perish, leading to a third act of "now it's personal" style action and suspense. Instead, we get a couple of quick surprises, and then bam! The movie is over (and ends on a truly chilling notion). But this is not a slight against the film, quite the opposite, it is a relief to see a film accomplish so much in a condensed time, rather than drag itself out. In fact, the film can almost be seen as having only two acts: The investigation and the action sequence (its a long sequence that rivals/surpasses any 'realistic' action sequence in modern history, combining a car chase, a shootout, and a rescue without ever resorting to Bruckheimer style superheroics). The car crash alone that begins the chase sequence tops anything Bay or Scott have done.

Berg has now provided us with 4 films, each one of the best modern examples of their respective subgenres. Very Bad Things (black comedy), The Rundown (buddy action), Friday Night Lights (sports drama) and now this (political thriller). So far each of his films has been better than the one before, a tradition that continues here (and then some - he may have topped himself here). The acting is top notch across the board, and surprising considering the subject matter, the film is often humorous (mostly Bateman's doing, but Foxx and Cooper have a few laugh out loud lines as well). You can't call the film "funny", but sort of like A Few Good Men, its a serious drama that manages to elicit more laughs than most actual comedies via well placed (and well delivered) off the cuff lines.

Call me a plant, fine, but this remains the only film I have seen at a test screening that I honestly had zero issues with. I even rated it excellent, which I've only done once before (for Knocked Up). See it for yourself in September and you'll know I was right.

BC

 

[Hunter Rider]

 

[Darth Elektra]

Trailer:
http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/thekingdom.html;_ylt=Aha1rSzoJGqbO4sl9zN1HzxfVXcA

Im not sure if it's a new trailer, but yahoo is acting like it is.

 

[Hunter Rider]

Yep definitely new,that's 2 full trailers for this movie and it looks great IMO

 

[Motown Marvel]

-delete-

 

[Darth Elektra]

Sweet, this looks pretty good.

 

[Sava]

damn... cant see it, anyone got a download-able link

 

[SWAT]

Looks good. I like Berg, he's made some great flick IMO.

 

[tzarinna]

Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven, Danny Huston, Richard Jenkins,very interesting cast.

I can't remember seeing Bateman in any thing serious,I'd like to see what he's got he's been great at comedy so far.

 

[Warhammer]

This film looks like Oscar-caliber material.
I'm anticipating it.

 

[Darth Elektra]

damn... cant see it, anyone got a download-able link

Here's a youtube version:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z0BFuTKxvt0

 

[hammerhedd11]

Looks awesome. Can't wait to see how Bateman handles serious material.

 

[Hunter Rider]

damn... cant see it, anyone got a download-able link

• Hi-Res
  
  (20.2Mb)
• HD 480P
  
  (51.7Mb)
• HD 720P
  
  (116Mb)
• HD 1080P
  
  (174Mb)

 

[hey yo its sean]

Heavy Michael Mann influence.. Can't wait.

 

[Sava]

thanks HR and DE

 

[Darth Elektra]

Reader Review: The Kingdom

Reader 'Tony Malo' got a chance to check out the upcoming Peter Berg film "THE KINGDOM," starring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven, Danny Huston, and Richard Jenkins. Film is due out this September.

Spoiler

Foxx stars as whip-smart FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury, who has just received the assignment of his career: assemble an elite team (played by Jennifer Garner, Oscar winner Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman) to hunt down and capture the terrorist mastermind responsible for a deadly attack on Americans working in Saudi Arabia. The feds have only one week to infiltrate and cripple a cell bent on jihad to western society.

No training could prepare Fleury and his team for the disorienting culture shock they face once inside this scorching foreign land, byzantine maze of politicians, storefront terrorists and double-crossing businessmen who traffic in profiteering and exploit any opportunity to grow ever richer, no matter the human cost. Bound by handlers who refuse to play ball with the U.S., the agents quickly find the local law enforcement more hindrance than help and soon grow uncertain of anybody's allegiance.

But when a sympathetic Saudi police captain helps them navigate Riyadh politics and investigate the true cause of the attack, Fleury finds an unexpected comrade-in-arms. In their lightning fast attempt to crack the case, the partners search leads them straight to the killer's front door. Now in a fight for their own lives, two teams on opposite sides of the war on terror won't stop until vengeance is found in "The Kindgom."

HERE IS WHAT TONY MALO HAD TO SAY ABOUT THE FILM:

I first saw the trailer for the new Jaime Fox vehicle “The Kingdom” around Christmas with the release of “Children of Men.” As the New Year progressed I wondered when the film was opening since I kept seeing a behind the scenes featurette every time I went to the movies. While the film is an action/thriller, it was probably a good idea for the studio to hold its release until September. Too many good movies get crushed by the big guns and end up on DVD in three months time. When I got the opportunity to see the film months early, naturally I didn’t pass it up.

Director Peter Berg does a pretty decent Michael Mann impression by helming an entertaining thriller with the right level of realism. The picture begins with an opening credits montage illustrating how Saudi Arabia became the number one producer of oil in the world and the U.S. became the number one consumer before segueing into a documentary style. With cheesy genre pictures like “Very Bad Things” and “The Rundown” under his belt, I never cared for Berg’s work as a filmmaker and the only pleasing film performance he ever gave was as Linda Fiorentino’s dumb suitor in “The Last Seduction.” That is until he made “Friday Night Lights”, a decent little drama that’s been spun off into a decent little (barely surviving TV series). Speaking of that film, the temporary music for this unfinished cut of “The Kingdom” appears to have been lifted from it and Kyle Chandler, the star of the series appears as an American legal attaché. The film wastes no time in cutting to the violence, opening with an attack on an American residential complex in Saudi Arabia, where families are in the middle of a softball game. Two gunman and one suicide bomber wreak devastating havoc by disguising themselves as Saudi national guardsman and when it’s all over several American civilians are dead.

When FBI agent Jaime Foxx gets a call from Chandler stateside, he’s ready to mount up team members Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner to begin an investigation and pick up the pieces. The attorney general is opposed to an American investigation but the FBI director played by the dead father on HBO’s “Six Feet Under” sends Foxx and his team anyway. Along for the ride is intelligence analyst Jason Bateman, who was eager to send a team, but not be part of it. “I didn’t say I, I said FBI”, he responds when Cooper asks why he’s reluctant to go. After bending the arm of a Saudi politician, Foxx gets royal permission to land on Saudi soil and assist the efforts of a Prince’s investigating soldiers. The only problem is they can’t do their jobs. Bomb tech Cooper is denied from sifting through evidence, while forensics lead Garner is given the cold shoulder because she is a woman. Standing in their way is a Saudi Colonel by the name of Al-Ghazi, who has been assigned to Foxx and his team to basically keep them out of trouble. Upon meeting the Prince, Foxx learns the man is more concerned with photo ops or discussing game hunting. “I’ll admit Americans are not perfect,” he tells the Prince, “but we are good at what we do. Let us assist you.”

Despite standing in Foxx’s way, Al-Ghazi is very displeased by the direction the investigation is taking and wants to get to the truth. Having witnessed the attack and defended one of his men suspected of treason, he wants to find those responsible and basically kill them. The two men share a lot in common and slowly develop a bond of friendship and respect despite their cultural differences. When video footage of the incident is released on the internet, Foxx and his team determine the attack was not spontaneous but planned by someone within the community. The suspected mastermind has been described as “a ghost”, someone they’ve never identified or caught. But even if they do apprehend him, how long will it be before someone replaces him?

There’s a great level of realism within this film and although it takes a while for the action to heat up, we’re supplied with haunting imagery such as a scene where a bomb is constructed with plastic explosive, nails and children’s jacks and marbles. Those marbles pop up later in the story as part of a plot twist, but the thought of something so innocent looking being used for destruction is horrifying. There’s the right dose of humor within the film, particularly from Bateman as well as Garner’s problem with being a woman in a country where martyrs believe they’ll be awarded dozens of virgins in the afterlife. Foxx and Col. Al-Ghazi strike up a believable friendship and the humor surrounding their cultural differences works well. The major action set-piece of the film involves a highway ambush on the team and a kidnapping that evolves into a rescue attempt/chase scene. It’s handled very well and there’s nothing stylistic about it. These people are paid professionals and when they get involved in gunfights, they work together. In other words, the action scenes are devised for the story, not sensationalism. Jennifer Garner recently said she’s in the worst shape of her life after having a baby, but I was happy to see her appear as a “real woman” not chiseled superhero Sydney Bristow of “Alias”. She even gets to defend herself with Mike Tyson tactics after she exhausts all her firepower.

Though the film is a vehicle for Foxx, the story is told through the eyes of the actor playing Al-Ghazi who is a face to watch. “The Kingdom” gets across its message of the need for different cultures to work out their problems and perspectives of each other without getting too preachy or political. Funny enough, the picture clocks in at less than two hours, yet it was a wise choice for Berg to tell a lean story and get out before we the audience felt bogged down. This isn’t the type of film that has a “we defeated all evil and saved the day” happy ending either. Even if our current war never occurred, conflicts like the one in this film have been ongoing for centuries. It’s summed up and echoed in the last line of the picture which is sure to haunt you after the film is over.

Overall rating for this film...I would give a B+