IMDb > The Kingdom (2007)
The Kingdom
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The Kingdom (2007) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 83 | slideshow) Videos (see all 31)
The Kingdom (2007) -- The Kingdom Trailer - Version 2
The Kingdom (2007) -- Clip: The car explosion
The Kingdom (2007) -- Behind the scenes: Car spinning
The Kingdom (2007) -- Interview: Jennifer Garner "On the film"
The Kingdom (2007) -- A team of U.S. government agents is sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East.

Overview

User Rating:
7.2/10   42,820 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 17% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writer (WGA):
Contact:
View company contact information for The Kingdom on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
28 September 2007 (USA) more
Genre:
Tagline:
Trust No One more
Plot:
A team of U.S. government agents is sent to investigate the bombing of an American facility in the Middle East. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(118 articles)
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 (From FilmJunk. 9 November 2009, 10:46 AM, PST)

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User Comments:
Inside every big Hollywood movie in an interesting movie trying to get out more (260 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Operation: Kingdom (Germany)
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MPAA:
Rated R for intense sequences of graphic brutal violence, and for language.
Runtime:
110 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Anna Deavere Smith plays Deputy National Security Adviser Maricella Canavesio. In "The West Wing" (1999), Smith portrays National Security Adviser Nancy McNally. more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): When Fleury displays his FBI badge to Aaron Jackson (Tim McGraw) it is upside down. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Narrator #1: After capturing most of the Arabian Peninsula with the help of the Wahhabi Islamic warriors, Ibn Saud establishes the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
more
Movie Connections:
References First Blood (1982) more
Soundtrack:
Don't Start Countin' On Me more

FAQ

Where can I purchase a physical VCD of this movie from an online site?
more
68 out of 104 people found the following comment useful.
Inside every big Hollywood movie in an interesting movie trying to get out, 11 December 2007
6/10
Author: philip mahoney from United Kingdom

There is much to like in The Kingdom. Nice performances, a slightly-new take on the buddy-cop story, Jennifer Garner's upper lip, and some excellent action set pieces. However, halfway through watching it, it occurred to me that it would in fact have been a much more interesting film if none of the stars were in it. Which was little odd, because I am very fond indeed of Jennifer Garner's upper lip.

The plot is this: There is a big terrorist attack in Saudi Arabia. Some FBI agents led by Jamie Foxx, fast talk and bamboozle their way into the country to investigate, where they team up with two Saudi cops. There then follows a small amount of detective work, some interesting political manoeuvring and two really rather well-done shoot outs.

Now, I like Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper and Jennifer Garner('s upper lip) who play the FBI agents, and although all three do the best they can with the material they are given, no effort is made to make their characters interesting. What's worse, although they aren't interesting, they are nevertheless vastly superior to everyone else. Thus nearly every single advance in the case is made by these three. They are the ones who solve everything.

The two Saudi cops, on the other hand, are interesting characters. Two good cops working in a corrupt, brutal system. Trying to solve a horrific crime whilst faced with hostility from their fellow officers and political interference from above. What's more, they're human. They have weaknesses and fears. They make mistakes.

And that's what occurred to me. I thought to myself that this film would almost certainly be more interesting and entertaining if the whole idea about the FBI agents had been removed, and instead, we'd just been following the wily but unfailingly polite Colonel Al Ghazi and his loyal sidekick Sergeant Haytham as they tried to solve the crime. Instead, once the FBI turn up, these two get relegated to standing to one side and looking suitably impressed every time one of the names-above-the-title stars does something brilliant.

Right at the start of the film, Jennifer Garner's character (ably assisted by her upper lip) makes a comment about how if the Saudi's allowed the FBI into the country to investigate the crime, it could prove to be enormously destructive. If only the film makers had listened to her.

It's not that the Kingdom is a bad film. In fact, it's actually a rather good film. I just think that if they'd dropped the stars, it could have been much better.

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Propagana? goatman_48
Jennifer Garner 'Gimme a gun and a plane ticket' tomster2085
FBI vs Saudi.. the_visualizer
HDTV rajendrabiswas
Did anyone else cry....(spoiler) CarDriver
Colonel Faris Al Ghazi fongrice
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