Rent The Kingdom (2007)

Excellent - The Kingdom review by CP Customer

The film starts with a terrorist attack in UAE claiming the lives of hundreds of Western families and locals. Jamie Foxx plays an FBI agent sent to The Kingdom with his team to investigate and assist the local Police in finding the perpetrators of the attack. There are frustrations caused by political manouevring and culture clashes. An interesting exploration of the differences in these cultures which leaves you thinking about how they can ever co-exist peacefully while some people hold certain beliefs and prejudices. Excellent film with modern storyline, good script and strong performances. The camera work adds to the excitement of the film and the confusion.

A brilliant, masterfully directed & wonderfully acted action thriller - The Kingdom review by TB

After a successful career as a actor & then director, Peter Berg made a huge impact with this brilliant film, set in Saudi Arabia after a spate of terrorist attacks. Part of the brilliance of this film is due to the powerhouse producing & guidance of Michael Mann, whose fingerprints are all over this film in terms of tone & action.

Jamie Foxx plays Ronald Fleury, an FBI agent who is sent to the Saudi capital, along with a crack team, to root out the culprits of a series of horrific terrorist attacks on the American campuses of oil workers. They are paired up with Colonel Faris Al-Ghazi, a deeply distrusting man who initially resents the American support sent to help him, but slowly forms a bond with the team.

The tension is expertly handled, then when the action finally comes, it is a masterclass in direction, stunt work & pacing. What starts as a frantic car chase then turns into a desperate search through a nest of terrorists inside an apartment building.

Finally, what really completes this film is the ending. It is absolutely perfect in terms of showing the futility of the situation that the Middle East finds itself caught in & drives home the pointlessness & never-ending cycle that results in needless bloodshed & trauma.

A wonderful masterpiece.

Exciting, action-packed movie about the paradox of Saudi Arabia - The Kingdom review by PV

Although occasionally resembling The Fantastic Four, with all-American and achingly diverse (woman, tick; black lead, tick...) cartoon superheroes saving the world and not suffering so much as a scratch whilst all the natives around them fall like flies, this is a well-made and genuinely exciting film that will have you on the edge of your seat. The action and bomb sequences are impressive and startling, in all ways, and the script keeps you guessing. Real adrenalin here.

OK, so it's an action movie and follows the tropes of those. But this has more - a thoughtful consideration of the paradox that is Saudi Arabia. That is why I award 4 stars to this. A couple of laugh out loud lines too.

The ending is particularly poignant, and unusual for an action movie; this is so much more than good guys versus bad guys.

And the first 5 minutes is perhaps the best potted history of Saudi Arabia ever put on film, which explains clearly the pact made by the Saud family and the Wahabi Islamic extremists (who want to destroy all books, all images, everything except the Koran). I doubt very much devout Muslims or Saudi nationals will be fans of The Kingdom, however...

After watching this, I'm just glad I never took that teaching job in Saudi Arabia (despite the money...)