Film Review: Three Kings

Three Kings
1999
1 hr 50 min
Starring: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube
Directed by David O. Russell

Plot: In the aftermath of the Gulf War, 4 soldiers set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait, but they discover people who need their help.

The recommendations I recieved going into this movie were all good despite my reluctance to accept that it was anything more than a dumb action movie. In reality the film was mix of a dumb action movie and commentary on the United States in the first Gulf War.

The film attacks the US for encouraging the Shias to rebel against Saddam and then leaving them to be slaughtered...and the story focuses on a small group of soldiers trying to "do their part to help" despite the policies of the US gov't. There's a great torture scene where an American soldier is being tortured and the Iraqi soldier tells him of the destruction that the bombing caused in Baghdad and the death of his son. He then shows him why the Americans are really there by pouring Oil down his throat.

A problem I had with the film is it seemed like they were making the case that the US should go back and finish the job and 'liberate the Iraqi people from Saddam. I know the film was made before there was any notion of that happening, but it could really be watched that way in the atmosphere that exists now. I'm sure it was a much better film before the war. Plus its hard for me to take a movie seriously that stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube. Overall, a very good movie with some problems...

MarxistGopher's Rating: *******(7 of 10 stars)