"The Kingdom" (**)

What starts out as an interesting political thriller, winds up being nothing more that a formulaic film that tries to convey to its audience how high and mighty America is.

The film begins with a timeline showcasing major events between America and Saudi Arabia concerning oil. It is really a fantastic sequence, but too bad the rest of the film cannot live up to it. The film then cuts to a baseball game taking place inside a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. During the game terrorists attack the area killing many. Soon after the impending mayhem an explosion occurs, creating a major international incident. A special FBI team led by Ronald Fleury is assembled to go to Saudi Arabia to find out who is behind the attacks. This is the point where the film begins to drag. When men talk about pursuing a girl, most of the fun is in the chase. Well, the chase to find out who is behind the attacks in this film is not that exciting. The middle, turns out to be formulaic and dull.

The film tries to relay a political message to its audience about how superior America is to foreign countries. When the special forces are told to take the backseat in the investigation, Jamie Foxx's character tells the man, "Just let us Americans do what we're good at." Americanism unfortunately plays a major role in the film. In my Humanities class at the University of Memphis, we are told to look at America, among other things, from a different perspective. How do people in other countries view America? We are told to transcend borders in order to gain a wider knowledge of the world around us. I don't like it when America boasts its greatness. Many times when America does this, it inadvertently shows its ignorance as well.

The movie does work, however, when it illustrates universal parallels between the two nations. One example would be the theme of the importance of family. Jamie Foxx plays a father who wants to go to Saudi Arabia to exterminate the bad guys. He tells his son that he is trying to rid the world of these bad guys. Some of the films most tender moments occur between Fleury and his son whether it be in the classroom or over the phone. Al Ghazi is a Saudi Colonel who is assigned to the Americans to aid them in their investigation. He has two daughters and a son and could be considered a family man. There are a few scenes that show his family. To me, this was important because it made parallels between the two nations. Another example, would be at the end of the film. It goes back and forth between a Saudi mother asking her son what his grandfather whispered to him and Jason Bateman asking Jamie Foxx what he whispered to Jennifer Garner. Both responses were, "Don't worry. We're going to kill them all." It shows that no matter what nationality a person is from they all share certain similarities and emotions, they are all humans. This is when the film works the best.