THREE KINGS R
Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson), Spike Jonze, Nora Dunn
Eric says: *********1/2 (9 1/2)
The trailers suggest that this is just another one of those buddy action flicks where the only thing that flies faster than the bullets are the quips. Luckilly, that is not what it's about at all. While it does start out with gratutious sex, ethnic wise cracks, and maps hidden intra-buttocks, something feels different. The actors seem less characatures and more real people, soldiers who really have no idea why they are there and what they're fighting for. As the quartet sets off to steal gold for themselves, they meet Iraqis who are equally confused and some who understand far better what's going on. The heart of the movie revolves around the interaction, for good and bad, between these people from different worlds with surprisingly similar lives.
Clooney is perfect for the role of the soldier who knows exactly what's going on and occasionally wishes he didn't. Ice Cube has proven himself as a real actor, not just a rapper whose fame gets him into movies. Mark Wahlberg has the most difficult scenes, which he handles like a pro. Spike Jonze, given the role of comedic relief hick, is effective and should not be ignored (3 kings?). Also very strong as supporting actors are the family man turned rebel leader fighting the Iraqi Army and, especially, the young Iraqi soldier who shares his story with Wahlberg, showing him that he has no idea what's going on.
The cinematography also gets a supporting actor nod with great bleached-out, white-hot looks given to the desert scenes and an other-worldly haze offered for the smoke-bomb scene. Also, the violence is explained and shown in an all too real, non-gratutious way. There's even a scene where Ice and Spike had been debating better football quarterbacks, black or white, and Ice Cube proves his aim throwing a football, that, in any other movie would have illicited a joke, and noone says anything - like reality. When many people die, people don't stop to joke, their lives are more important. This movie gets it.
David says:
Wow.
Usually when Eric & I see a movie, we spend a fair amount of time discussing the screwups, plot holes, and general impossibilites.Well, those guys didn't seem quite hot & sweaty enough, considering that they were running around a desert.
I personally loved the scene when Clooney & co. were getting the gold out, and the Iraqi soldiers arrived. Before the situation turns truly ugly, there is a perfectly civilized conversation in the foreground, with various atrocities in the background. The actors do a great job here, being people deliberately ignoring the actions and holding on to what semblance of sanity that they can. Meanwhile, the filming perfectly captures the surrealistic aspect when one intentionally ignores realities that so offend ones sensibilities.
This movie does a wonderful job of realistically portraying a segment of life most of us don't see up close and personal.The good guys aren't always so good, the bad guys could be us if we where in their shoes, the views of an alien culture are excellent -
Wow.