By Sara Pintilie/entertainment editor
The Kingdom brings a political action film to the table although it is a slightly uneven outlook on the Middle East and terrorism.
In Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a group of Americans falls victim to a massive terrorist attack.
FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Ray’s Jamie Foxx) assembles a team to cross the Atlantic and investigate the incident.
Unfortunately, the team faces a lot of red tape and is unable to do much.
Janet Mayes (Alias’s Jennifer Garner) is seen as a second-class citizen, and Fleury and Grant Skyes (American Beauty’s Chris Cooper) can’t seem to get their message across.
The locals don’t like Adam Leavitt’s (Arrested Development’s Jason Bateman) sarcasm and choice of four-letter words.
But with the help of Saudi Colonel Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhoum), they start to put together what really happened during the attack.
Director Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights) does a great job of depicting this gritty, realistic drama.
All the characters are well drawn, but Leavitt and Al-Ghazi fuel the movie and accompany everyone into the Saudi Arabian backdrop.
To put it simply, Bateman alone is worth the admission.
He has always made me laugh, but he proves he can handle drama flawlessly.
Barhoum is the other gem in this film. He does a great job breaking stereotypes as he reflects his character’s culture.
The other actors build a strong foundation on which to base this movie.
Cooper seems to jump aboard any project when the words military, government agency and/or Middle East are involved.
Foxx and Garner never intrigue me, but they don’t disappoint in this flick.
Garner turns it down a few notches from her character in Alias.
The only problem with this film is its uneven tempo. The first 10 to 20 minutes are incredibly intense; then the movie drifts into an almost light drama genre before snapping back.
The film swings between areas with little transition.
Regardless, the pieces of the jagged film are well written and acted to make up for the pace.
The Kingdom is a worthy addition to the fall film lineup.
