Directed by:  David O. Russell
Written by: David O. Russell
Starring:  George Clooney, Mark Walberg, Ice Cube, Nora Dunn
 

September 22, 1999

        I went into Three Kings with the expectation that it was going to be the kind of film that was unsure of what it wanted to say.  The premise sounded inane; a bunch of soldiers go on a scavenger hunt for Sadaam’s gold after the Gulf War ends.  And I’ll have to say, Three Kings sums up the mindset and goals of Americans.  After discovering a map that could possibly lead to gold which Sadaam divided up into three different bunkers, Archie Gates (George Clooney) plans a mission, along with Troy Barlow (Mark Walberg), Chief Elgin (Ice Cube), and two other soldiers, to hijack the gold so they can all go home rich.  Of course this would be against Army regulation, so they have to keep their mission on the q.t.
         Hey, maybe there’s a reason this plan would be against Army regulation.... I don’t know, because someone could get killed.  We’re supposed to side with these guys because they’re with the U.S. army, but they’re just old fashioned gold diggers.  They don’t think about their consequences, and hey, guess what, people end up dying. I’m not saying this is unbelievable; money is what drives America, and it’s plausible that these soldiers would try and steal this money.
         My problem is that the film is trying to make them out as heroes, and they are far from that.  At one point they are faced with the dilemma of helping out the refugees who are still being oppressed under Sadaam’s soldiers.  And they do make the right decision to help them.  Once they make it to safety from the current crisis, they have to be bought with the gold they stole, which the Iraqi refugees now have, to help them past the border into Iran.  If the Americans really had any human decency, why did they have to be bought?
         The one good aspect of film though is the style Russell used.  The bright exposure of the film gives the feeling that they are in the desert.  The flashback sequences and bullet sequences add a comedic tone here and there.
        This leads to another problem though.  It starts out light with a lot of jokes.  And then suddenly it gets serious when someone is killed.  From there on, the comedy and drama don't seem well balanced at all.  What kind of film is this, a war drama or an action comedy?  I can't answer this question, and I don't think the writer/director could either.
 

-Reviewed in Theaters-

Recommended Alternatives:  Boogie Nights, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Out of Sight (Clooney)

Check out these other Fidelio Film Reviews:

Apocalypse Now Redux
The Pianist
Rules of Engagement