Anyone who has seen writer/director David O. Russell's previous films ("Spanking the Monkey," "Flirting with Disaster") would never have guessed in a million years that he'd be able to pull off a complex, action-filled, big-budget war film. But life is full of surprises, and "Three Kings" is a very nice one.
The film takes place at the tail end of the Gulf War. A cease fire has been called, and soldiers (many of them reservists) are alternately happy that it's over, and regretful that they didn't get to see more action. Four soldiers, led by burnt-out Special Forces Maj. Archie Gates (George Clooney), decide to use the "assmap" taken off an Iraqi prisoner (the name doesn't refer to what it's a map TO, but where they got the map FROM) which shows the location of secret bunkers as their ticket to wealth and happiness. You see, in these bunkers rests all the contraband the Iraqis stole from Kuwait - including millions of dollars in gold bullion. So off go Gates, Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg), Chief (Ice Cube) and Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze) on a quick trip to snag themselves the gold.
But their best laid plans go awry when, after managing to find the gold, they also find themselves caught up in the efforts of Iraqi rebels to rise up and overthrow the regime of Saddam Hussein - a rebellion which then-President George Bush encouraged, but did not back up with force. Suddenly these men, whose only goal was the selfish removal of the gold for themselves, are neck deep in a battle between Iraqi citizens and the Iraqi military who want to put down the rebellion by any means necessary. Are our heroes willing to put aside their own interests and help these people? Uh, are feature films 30-minutes long?
"Three Kings" was marketed as a fun-and-games military comedy about some wacky soldiers trying to steal some gold. But the movie is so much more than that. Russell's script and direction are complex, daring, and unique, especially for a big-budget studio film. He takes risks at every turn: changes in tone from funny, to action-packed, to deadly serious, and back to funny again - sometimes all in the space of a single scene. This is not a romp, it's a film with some very serious and critical things to say about flawed U.S. policy during a very popular, seemingly bloodless and impersonal war. But Russell shows us the scars of the Iraqis whose homeland has been used for target practice - and not just those Iraqis who want to rebel against their dictatorial leader, but those in the Iraqi army as well. Perhaps the best moment in the film is a torture scene in which Wahlberg's character is being interrogated by an Iraqi soldier. It's an amazing piece of writing, acting and directing, because Russell manages to make you feel for the man who is torturing one of the film's heroes. And it works because the Iraqi is not treated as a villain, but as a man. A human being with complex feelings and motivations of his own.
And that's what makes this film so special. It's not a simple heist flick in an outrageous setting, it's a film about becoming human in an inhuman situation. Our main characters may or may not get the gold - but it's their experiences while helping a group of refugees to safety that will determine whether or not they become richer human beings. It's a rare heist film that's about sacrificing rather than acquiring.
If you want to see nothing more than a goofy movie about some wild and zany cowboys out to pull a robbery, you may be disappointed by this film. "Three Kings" is a simple heist flick like "M*A*S*H" is a simple military comedy. They both have those basic elements, but what makes them great is that they try to achieve more, and succeed dazzlingly.
Absurdly comic, highly kinetic, at times shockingly emotional, Three Kings begins when the Gulf War is over. Amid the partying and confusion, four Ame...More at Buy.com
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