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THE KINGDOM 3 Stars –
Thought
Provoking H. L. Mencken, the articulate American newspaperman from the
mid-20th
century,
once
said,
“For
every
human
condition,
there
is
a
solution
that
is
simple,
neat,
and
wrong.”
There
is
no
place
where
this
assessment
is
more
accurate
than
when
applied
to
the
solutions
being
given
for
bringing
peace
to
the
Middle
East. “The Kingdom” is a sobering look at the tension that exists
in
Saudi
Arabia
during
the
current
conflict
in
Iraq. Most westerners think of Saudi Arabia as a monolithic culture controlled
by
strict
religious
and
social
practices. Even if this might be true, the country is plagued with “hardliners”
who
want
to
remove
the
presence
of
western
influence,
and
are
willing
to
take
the
law
into
their
own
hands
to
do
so. Osama Bin Laden, by example, has made it clear
that
his
primary
focus
is
not
on
destroying
America. His real interest is to destabilize the Saudi
government
and
restore
a
“true
Muslim
theocracy.” “The Kingdom” story opens with a community baseball game occuring
within
the
American
compound
in
Riyadh,
Saudi
Arabia. Without warning, a series of terrorists open fire on the men, women,
and
children
who
are
playing
in
the
park. The devious purpose behind the attack was to get the panicking parents
and
children
to
run
towards
the
compound
hospital,
and
then
to
explode
a
huge
vehicular
bomb
and
kill
hundreds
of
innocent
civilians
as
well
as
a
smattering
of
Saudi
Police.
The
plot
worked
well,
and
the
losses
are
staggering. Back at the FBI in Washington DC, Special Agents Ronald Fleury
(Jamie
Foxx),
Grant
Sykes
(Chris
Cooper),
Janet
Mayes
(Jennifer
Garner),
and
Adam
Leavitt
(Jason
Bateman)
struggle
with
their
superiors
because
the
Saudi
government
wants
to
solve
this
case
without
American
help. Ultimately, through diplomatic channels, these
four
agents
request
five
days
to
assist
the
Saudi
police
in
their
investigation.
The
police
in
Riyadh
view
the
arrival
of
these
Americans
with
deep
suspicion
and
even
though
they
achieve
some
success,
the
danger
they
face
is
extreme. What unfolds in this tense story is a heart-pounding tale of
hatred
with
some
degree
of
respect
between
the
Americans
and
Saudis
on
the
front
lines
of
war.
Any
images
of
Arabia
being
a
place
free
from
the
horrors
of
war
are
shattered. This might as well be downtown Baghdad. The humanizing element of the story comes in
the
relationship
that
the
Americans
share
with
Saudi
Colonel
Al-Ghazi
(Ashraf
Barhoum),
assigned
to
protect
them.
Their
common
humanity
comes
to
the
surface
when
they
get
to
know
him
and
his
son
personally. The moral questions raised in the film are threefold: What should our physical, emotional, and spiritual
response
be
to
terrorism
in
the
world? What can one individual do to make a difference? Finally, what message does our response teach
our
children?
There
are
answers
to
all
three
questions
in
the
film,
but
not
necessarily
answers
with
which
we
are
comfortable.
Fighters on both sides of the conflict share the same words
of
encouragement:
“We
will
destroy
them.”
The
ultimate
question
remains:
will
anyone
be
left
standing
when
the
fighting
stops?
It
is
too
simplistic
to
say
that
this
is
a
fight
between
“good”
and
“evil.” In the end, each person has to decide, whether or not, they want
to
become
instruments
of
grace.
Discussion:
________________ Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary.
Hal
Conklin
is
former
mayor
of
Santa
Barbara
and
Denny
Wayman
is
pastor
of
the
Free
Methodist
Church.
For
more
reviews:
http://www.cinemainfocus.com. |
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