THE KINGDOM (2007)

TITLE
The Kingdom

STARRING
Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Ashraf Barhom, and Jeremy Piven

THIS MOVIE IS LIKE
Munich, Syriana, Traffic, Lions For Lambs, Rendition

WOULD YOU SUGGEST IT TO A FRIEND
No. I'm not a fan of how Peter Berg shot this movie (similar to Traffic and Syriana) and quite frankly the characters were tired, (as was I after watching it). The one bright ray of hope was watching Jason Bateman take on such a dramatic role. The rest of the casting seemed to be off and the message just further exploited America's commonly held misconceptions about Islamic nations and their people.

PROTAGONIST
This is an ensemble piece featuring Ronald Fleury (Foxx), Grant Sykes (Cooper), Janet Mayes (Garner) and Adam Leavitt (Bateman) as a forensic team of four FBI Agents sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate an act of terrorism at a facility, which housed American families working for an oil company. A nearly primary protagonist can be identified in Agent Fleury.

FIRST 10 PAGES
American families working for an oil company are busy enjoying their day off pinicing and playing baseball on the closed campus in Saudi Arabia. Armed guards protect the entry and several yards away, a man and his grandson watch through binoculars. Quickly and predictably, a militant sect of Islamic separatists attack the complex. Bombs go off people are shot, the assault is brutal and escalating. Well into the evening, FBI Investigators and first responders are busy assisting the survivors while the guards are questioned for numbers of uniforms and their inability to stop the attackers and avert the crisis.

SITUATION CHANGES (PAGE 15)
In the midst of a call placed by the lead FBI Investigator on ground in Saudi Arabia to a Agent Fleury, a large explosive is detonated, killing the investigator and most of the people in the surrounding area. Fleury and his team are mobilized because of the extreme nature of the events, but are only given five days to conduct their investigation and apprehend anyone responsible. Agent Fleury visits the children of his fallen colleague to assure them.

COMMIT TO THE QUEST (PAGE 30)
The team watches as the casket of their colleague is loaded on the plane they just deboarded.

CHANGE IS FORESHADOWED (PAGE 45)
Bad job here. The clearest change foreshadowed is that of Colonel Faris al Ghazi as he becomes the preferred choice of Fleury and his team to lead the investigation on behalf of the Saudi's, but for the sake of keeping with the protagonist's change being foreshadowed, Agent Fleury has developed a respect for the investigative talents of Colonel al Ghazi and their perseverance for finding the truth is both heightened and mutual.

THERE'S NO GOING BACK (PAGE 60)
Zzzz.....oh wait, let me wipe the drool from my face, yes I am back. This point in the film was muddled with interplay among the team (that didn't make much sense) and the relationships of Agent Fleury and Colonel al Ghazi with Damon Schmidt, played by Jeremy Piven, being distressed when he orders the team to return to the states after several discoveries lead to the death of two of the terrorists.

A SECRET IS REVEALED (PAGE 75)
Military personnel, under the leadership of the terrorist's separatist sect, who work for the Saudi Government have set the Americans up. The team can no longer decide who to trust, necessitating the desire to leave on time and without the arrest of the leader who plotted the attack.

ALL BETS ARE OFF (PAGE 90)
Action levels are up in the only exciting turn of events throughout the movie. A roadside hijacking of the team's SUV, that Agent Fleury gets wind of enroute when he notices the last car in the caravan stopped and averts and oncoming attacker still ensures the successful capture of Agent Leavitt. Leavitt is taken to a nearby location, where it is the separatists intent to videotape his murder. The team, and several guards pursue Leavitt and his captors leading them to a tense standoff with heavily armed, but disorganized terrorists in a populated apartment building.

THE END
Colonel al Ghazi and the team find Agent Leavitt, who before the whole of the action is over, gets his own moments of glory in bravery and aversion (a nice character arch for him and possibly the only glimmer of "great" writing). Before Colonel al Ghazi can apprehend the separatist leader, Abu Hamza, Hamza's grandson shoots him several times and is in turn killed. Agent Fleury then goes to the home of Colonel al Ghazi's family and visits with them assuring his son of the bravery his father has shown.