The Kingdom

For the past week or so I have been trying to come up with a list of movies that are saved by their endings. Plenty of movies start good or even great and then start to go downhill from there. I wanted to see if I could think of any that are the opposite case and I think The Kingdom is a somewhat good example of this. Not that it is a bad movie, it isn't at all, but all of it's flaws are totally redeemed by a tense third act shoot out that is probably the best of its kind since Michael Mann's Heat.

The problems I had with the film are actually only minor quibbles. I would have liked it to be longer. We seemed a little shorthanded on character development in the first two acts, just sketches of past lives and relationships. I would have also liked more time spent on the investigation. It seems they know answers and find clues a little too quickly.

Besides that shoot out the best part about the movie is the relationship among the FBI agents. Their chemistry actually suggests that they know and have worked together for some time. I also like that we are given time to witness the Saudi Arabia side of the story and they are not just portrayed as faceless bad guys. In fact, most of them are good and just want to bring the criminals to justice.

This film also has the best opening credits I have seen in sometime. It's like a short little lesson on the recent history of Saudi Arabia that is both intellectually and emotionally thrilling. If you would like to see them they can be viewed here.