It was hard to know what to expect from latest Jamie Foxx film, “The Kingdom”. Without watching a trailer, The title doesn’t suggest much – so audiences might not know what to expect.
But the opening scenes chronicle the rise of riches and conflict as a poor and drought ridden country discovers oil in 1931. Fast forward to the curses that came along with the blessing of vast wealth for ‘The Kingdom’ of Saudi Arabia – and viewers learn relatively quickly that they are in for a violent, emotional and fast paced thrill ride.
Foxx plays FBI agent Ronald Fleury and a terrific ensemble cast including Jennifer Garner, Jason Batemen, Chris Cooper, Jeremy Piven and Ashraf Barhoum.
“The Kingdom” is a violent depiction of a slice of terroism on Saudi soil. In part as retribution for the death of his friend when a bomb explodes in a housing complex in Riyadh, Saudia Arabia, Fleury pulls together a team and a plan to enter the restricted crime scene and solve the crime.
The gory and sometimes gratuitous death scenes are not for the faint of heart or the squeamish as no one is spared when the time comes to kill.
Well acted, well directed (Peter Berg) and especially well written (Matthew Michael Carnahan), “The Kingdom” is an extremely balanced script that illustrates all sides of story with respect to terrorism. It by no means justifies the acts that the radical muslims are taking, but brings the audience inside their conviction and self-sacrifice for what they believe to be right.
Foxx is effective – yet at some of the more demanding scenes that require him to reach emotionally – it almost felt as if he were selected based on the weight behind his name moreso than his chops as an actor. But where he slacked off, the strong and dynamic ensemble more than filled in the blanks.
Bateman shines with his trademark sharp tongued wit and Cooper proves once again to be the quintessential supporting actor with his still but deep screen prescence. Garner seems a bit insignificant until the fight sequences come into play. She brilliantly blends the perfect mix of feminity and physical prowess to make for some amazing and cleverly choregraphed altercations.
But Ashraf Barhoum, who plays Saudi Colonel Al-Ghazi works the hardest. Al-Ghazi is the unnofficial moderator for both the Saudi and American forces in this film he is a softspoken and unsung hero whose grace and spirit of justice bring them together for the greater good of everyone involved.
Judging from his role in The Kingdom, Foxx still has work to do with respect to making the timing of his emotional peformances match that of his wit. But his co-stars pick up the slack to make this film definitely worth seeing.
The Kingdom opens in theatres today (Friday, September 27th). The film is rated R with a running time of 110 minutes.
