:
George Clooney,
George Clooney,
Mark Wahlberg,
more...
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David O. Russell,
David O. Russell
see all cast/crew...
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: Warner Home Video
: Capers, War, Iraq
: 115 min.
: English
: English, French
see additional details...
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Three stars team up for this unusual look at America's role in the war against Iraq. In 1991, as the Gulf War winds to a close, three American servicemen find themselves happy to have achieved victory but wondering about the ultimate importance of what they've done (especially since Saddam Hussein is still in power). Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) is a decorated Vietnam veteran and special forces officer with two weeks to go before he retires; Sgt. Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg) has a new baby at home; and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) is probably just going to end up back in Detroit. So when one of them comes across a map that seems to point out where Saddam's forces have stashed a large cache of gold they stole from Kuwait, they decide to follow the trail and take some of the war booty for themselves. However, the deeper they journey into Iraq, the more they see of the consequences of America's policies in the Middle East. Although President George Bush and the American military urged Iraqi citizens to rise up against Saddam Hussein, and pledged their support to a people's movement against the leader, Iraqis found that when they took to the streets against Saddam, the United States did not back them up, and the loss of Iraqi lives was fearsome. When Gates, Barlow and Elgin become aware of what's happening, they're torn between their desire to grab the fortune they came for and the demands of their conscience to help the people they came to liberate. Three Kings was directed by David O. Russell and marked a significant change of direction after his dark-humored relationship comedies, Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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| Worth sticking with it
by mason
October 15, 2004 - 4:42 PM PDT
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3 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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| This was by no means an excellent film, but it should actually carry a warning not to give up on it halfway through. I'm not sure if it's on purpose, or if that theory gives too much credit to director Russell, but the movie really changes gears around the halfway point. At the beginning, the gung-ho, rah-rah spirit is annoying, the characters are obnoxious, and the attempts at humor are grating. Halfway through when things start to go wrong with our heroes' plan, however, everything changes and the rest of the movie is pretty impressive. It treats the situation with the seriousness it deserves, and the characters begin to come to the realization that things aren't as black and white as they thought. It's fairly well done, though the characters for the most part still don't get fleshed out as much as they might. Ice Cube and Wahlberg give very good performances, while Clooney remains unable to play anything but the guy with all the answers. Not a classic, but the movie's well worth your time in the end. |
| Not Your Average War Movie
by BrodiesGirl
July 27, 2004 - 1:37 AM PDT
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1 out of 4 members found this review helpful
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Three Kings is an anti-war movie that may not be an obvious anti-war movie right away. It deals with that war in the Middle East we weren't too sure about and George Bush was the President. No, no, the first time around, not with George W.
The movie doesn't focus on the horrors of being in the middle of battle, but on the frustration of being political pawns in a war over oil. Left-Wing Propaganda? Sure, but it's still a movie worth watching.
The characters are a little underdeveloped, some of the plot is a little ridiculous, but it makes for a very entertaining, original movie about a ridiculous war.
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| ditched half way through
by cruzer
July 9, 2004 - 11:49 PM PDT
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0 out of 15 members found this review helpful
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This film has the dubious honour of being the
first GC film we've ditched half way through.
The plot, the characters, the setting are all
unbelievable and not the least bit interesting.
Let's just say the film never really leaves the
place where the map was first retrieved.
(oh, but along the way the great american soldier
liberates a bunch of oppressed iraqis. Maybe that's
all that really matters).
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 6.89)
1072 Votes
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