Les Rois du désert

In the aftermath of Desert Storm a group of soldiers find a secret map showing a bunker containing Kuwaiti gold. When they begin to go for the gold they find little resistance from an Iraqi army more concerned with killing civilians than protecting gold. The uprising had started when the US army had encouraged civilians to rebel but now will not support them.

When I first saw the trailer for this I knew nothing about it – from the way it was marketed I had assumed it was going to be a modern day `Kelly's Heroes' with bright comedy and good action scenes. On first viewing I was disappointed but interested. On second viewing I now see what this film was about and how badly marketed it had been. The plot is no comedy but is really an extreme anti-war film that condemns America's approach to the Gulf War.

When our characters go after the goal they go in a gung-ho manner, seeking only riches and not interested in the plight of the people. This is how America went in – not to protect the people but because of the impact the invasion was having on oil prices and reserves. The anti-war message is also hammered home in the gross close-up shots of how a bullet damages a body.

It's only in the final half hour that the film goes a little wrong – looking for an ending that isn't depressing in a subject that really can't have a `happy' ending and please American audiences. It has other weaknesses – some of the scenes are off subject , meaningless or just don't work. However for the majority this is a surprisingly good film that makes points that aren't seen in Hollywood films (and if this whole flag waving thing continues much longer, we won't see a counter opinion for quite a while).

The cast are good and deserve praise for choosing this film. Clooney and Wahlberg both add a large box office draw while for Jonze this made up a great summer of exposure. Ice Cube again shows that not all rappers have to do rubbish hip hop comedies to get into movies.

Overall this was betrayed by it's own marketing department and many people may not have liked it for that reason. However this is an intelligent anti-war film that has flaws but should be given respect for it's honesty and bravery.

With the exception of 'Magnolia'and 'The Green Mile', I don't believe that there was a movie as great as 'Three Kings' last year. It was a brilliant look at the Gulf War and stretched beyond the boundaries of all war movies before it. David O. Russell did an excellent job writing and directing this movie and George Clooney gave one of the best performances of the year. Mark Wahlberg proved that his work can go beyond that of Dirk Diggler. Spike Jonze was hilarious as Wahlberg's lacky. Watching the movie is a memorable experience. It's way out there with it's comedic sense of timing, awesome action sequences, and morals to match. It dealt with the political issues of the Gulf War which was seen as a pretty harmless war from an American's standpoint. Russell showed us the plight of the freedom fighters in Iraq and told a very serious story, but did it with a sense of humor that was neither tasteless nor melodramatic. Russell kept an even tone throughout the entire movie and perfectly blended the action,black comedy,and war genres into what was one of the year's best. An entertaining movie that never ceases to amaze me. I still am trying to figure out why it didn't get nominated for any Oscars. I hope that one day people will see this move for what it is...a masterpiece.

It's hard to really adequately describe this movie. Let me try.

For starters, in spite of the advertisements, it's not merely a remake of "Kelly's Heroes". Yes, we are in a postwar situation, where a bunch of Americans are trying to "recover" gold stolen by the enemy, but that's the end of the similarities.

"Three Kings" does an excellent job of showing just how gonzo modern warfare has become. You've got unemployed reservists going to the Middle East for kicks fighting Saddam, who uses gas attacks, electric shock torture and other atrocities to fight the rebels. Thrown in the mix are a U.S.-educated Iraqi whose businesses were destroyed by the Americans, a bunch of rebels and refugees living in bunkers, a CNN-type correspondent facing the threat of younger reporters, and Mark Wahlberg's character finding a cell phone in the Iraqi bunker and using it to call his wife in the U.S.

The movie is extremely funny at times, graphically violent at times, but always on target. It provides a lot of insight into how non-Americans view the U.S. I cannot think of another major movie which showed people in a third-world country as modern people without patronizing. Even the soldiers shooting at our heros, gassing the refugees, and torturing Mark Wahlberg's character are shown as human beings.

Somehow this movie got lost last year amongst all the hype for "American Beauty". "Three Kings" looks to have much more staying power. George Clooney continues to shine in yet another under-appreciated performance. For somebody with a Hollywood legacy, he really seems to have pushed some of the wrong buttons in Hollywood. I cannot think of any other explanation for why he has yet to achieve the acclaim his performances deserve.

I've just watched this film two years after umming and arring about going to see it at the flicks when it was released. Two years ago I stayed in with a pizza thinking that George Clooney looking gritty with a load of gold wouldn't be up to much. Then friends started to talk about it quite positively without really saying much about the content. Then I saw it in a buy 2 get 1 free sale at HMV, and now I know that I needn't have to gone through all the bother of digesting a pizza.

I should also add that I'm seeing this after 11/9/2001 and that even with the new perspective world events have cast over films with themes involving the US and the middle East, this film stands up very well. A positive portrayal of Islam, a positive portrayal of the people of Iraq, a sort-of-positive portrayal of the US army abroad, hell even a sympathetic portrayal of a lapdog of Saddam (I'm kind of reminded of Happiness for the sheer taboo-bustingness of this portrayal).

The plot is easy on the mind, the acting is satisfactory, the ending is purest Hollywood and the cinematography is sub-Lawrence of Arabia despite having access to a perfectly adequate desert. What makes this movie stand out is how at ease it is with its subject matter; letting comedy mix with the sort of serious politics that make a lot of people pick their words with great care.

The misleading trailer for this film fits in perfectly with what it's trying to achieve. Pretending to a be a gung-ho, guns and gold, go gettum boys film, it gets those into the cinema who need to hear its message not just those who want to hear. It attempts to slip complex issues through just about all the unthinking jingoism that lingers outside movie theatres on a regular basis and for that I salute it.

Go see.

A film for anyone who ever relishes the triumphal note of western war films, who gets carried away by the moral high of being on the winning side. For those who saw the good in the Gulf War, saw how many people America helped and was proud to live in the Western world.

Three Kings is an anti-war film. Its opening scenes are not the declaration of war, but soldiers celebrating its end. Then coming to grips with its consequences.

Of course, Saddam Hussein is depicted in the customary role of the villain, but then so is George Bush whose abandonment of the Iraqi people he had called to rise against Saddam is illustrated with examples of human suffering - emotional as well as physical.

Don't get the idea that this is a bleak and 'worthy' film, in many ways it is, but it does it with such style and black humour - that forces you to laugh even while being disgusted or perturbed - that it is eminently watchable. But still edgy, I was pleased to see one couple walk out (though they might just have gone to the toilet, who knows, I was absorbed by the film and didn't pay enough attention).

Director, David O Russell, ensures that the film never gets carried away with action scenes - bullets have consequences (good and bad) even when fired by an all-American soldier. There is some stunning cinematography. Particularly shocking to me was when Iraqi soldiers fire at a tanker. Nothing's more shocking than the unexpected and dramatically understated (I didn't see the trailer, though I believe that scene was actually in it).

There are some interesting cinematic devices in the film. The next time that sepsis comes into conversation I'm sure anyone who has seen the film will call to mind scenes of a bullet travelling through the body. I've seen less violent films than some people, but have been swept away by their power many times - become blasé about bullets and cinematic death. I've seen it all too often before to care about nameless victims that stand in the way of the power, wit, and understanding of the hard-bitten, long-serving soldier, wielding a justice in the shape of a gun.

Russell claimed to make every bullet count in the film, and in one memorably calm scene of confusion and crossfire, he certainly does. The style of the film however doesn't detract from its content. Three Kings doesn't have pretensions of addressing difficult issues by showing the manly, serious face of George Clooney looking a little concerned after killing a few dozen of the enemy. It has intelligent dialogue and moving scenes of confrontation between the opposing ideologies of the Americans and their 'allies' and 'enemies' alike.

Not the best date movie in the world. Funny, shocking, thought provoking and honest, 8.5/10.