Three Kings
Tags: comedy, murder, anti war, violence, thought-provoking, humor, satire, suspenseful

Plot synopsis:
The film opens with Army Reserve Sergeant First Class Troy Barlow (Wahlberg) shooting an Iraqi Regular Army soldier pointing his weapon at Troy after seemingly trying to surrender following the end of the Gulf War. With Private First Class Conrad Vig (Jonze), Troy disarms and searches the surrendering Iraqi soldiers, and while forcibly subduing a resisting Iraqi officer they find a document hidden in his rectum. The document appears to be a map, and Troy decides not to notify his commanding officer, instead taking the "Iraqi ass map" to Staff Sergeant Chief Elgin (Cube), a friend of his. While the trio discuss the implications of their discovery they leave Specialist Walter Wogeman (Jamie Kennedy) to stand guard outside the tent.Meanwhile, Major Archie Gates (Clooney), a Special Forces soldier in the same camp, is trading sex for stories with a journalist, Cathy Daitch (Judy Greer), when he is interrupted by Adriana Cruz (Nora Dunn), the television reporter assigned to Archie. Adriana tells Archie of the rumors of a secret map. Archie avoids Adriana and finds the tent of Troy, Conrad and Chief. Archie convinces the three soldiers that the document is a map of Saddam's bunkers, including information that can only be viewed using a black light, containing gold bullion stolen from Kuwait. They decide to steal the gold and set off while Wogeman drives Cruz around the area to distract her.Using the cease-fire orders from President Bush, the Americans are able to raid and secure the bunkers without any bloodshed. There, among other goods plundered from Kuwait, they find the gold. As they are leaving they see a prisoner executed by the newly arrived Iraqi Republican Guard troops, and decide to abandon their plan to "grab the gold and go." They rescue a group of Iraqi prisoners, including a local rebel leader, and start a private war against Saddam's loyal soldiers.After a firefight in the village and arrival of the Iraqi reinforcements, the Americans' vehicles are destroyed as they blunder into a minefield and the Iraqi soldiers capture Troy. A group of rebels rescue the remaining Americans and take them to their underground hideout. There, Conrad, Chief and Archie agree to help the rebels and their families reach the Iranian border, after they rescue Troy.Meanwhile, Troy has been taken to an underground bunker. Placed in a room full of more stolen Kuwaiti goods, he manages to find a usable cell phone to call his wife and tell her to report his location to his local Army Reserve unit. His call is cut short when he is dragged to an interrogation room. Electrical wires are placed around his ears, and an Iraqi intelligence officer, Captain Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui), berates him about the hypocrisy of American involvement in the region. He also tells Troy about how his child was killed when a bomb hit their home and the roof collapsed on the baby's crib. Troy is subjected to several electric shocks, and is finally forced to drink motor oil.The group meet up with a band of Iraqi Army deserters who are willing to help them by selling them a fleet of luxury cars stolen from Kuwait. With these cars they go to the bunker to save Troy, and scare away most of its defenders by spreading the rumor that an enraged Saddam is coming to kill them. After storming the bunker they free Troy, who, being a father himself, spares the life of his torturer, as well as more Shi'a held in a dungeon. Leaving the complex, they are attacked by an armed helicopter, which Chief destroys by throwing a Nerf ball rigged with explosives at it. During a shootout with a couple of returning Republican Guards, Troy and Conrad are shot. Conrad dies, and Troy, suffering from a punctured lung, has a flutter valve placed in his chest by Archie to allow air to escape. Archie tells him that the valve will work for a few hours but Troy still needs proper medical treatment.Archie makes radio contact with Walter at base asking for transport, offering the drivers $100,000 each. He then orders that each of the Shi'a be given a bar of gold and the rest buried. Planning to help the Shi'a escape, they make their way to the Iranian border, heavily guarded by government forces. After reaching the border they are stopped by the American soldiers and arrested. Archie offers the rest of the gold to the other Americans in exchange for letting the refugees through.The film closes stating that all of the soldiers were cleared of their charges thanks to Adriana Cruz's reporting. Archie and Chief now work as military advisers in Hollywood, and Troy is the owner of a carpet store. The closing epilogue states that the stolen gold was returned to Kuwait, although the Kuwaitis reported some was missing.

Review: Thrown in the mix are a U.S.-educated Iraqi whose businesses were destroyed by the Americans, a bunch of rebels and refugees living in bunkers, a CNN-type correspondent facing the threat of younger reporters, and Mark Wahlberg's character finding a cell phone in the Iraqi bunker and using it to call his wife in the U.S.The movie is extremely funny at times, graphically violent at times, but always on target.
Even the soldiers shooting at our heros, gassing the refugees, and torturing Mark Wahlberg's character are shown as human beings.Somehow this movie got lost last year amongst all the hype for "American Beauty".
He could have continued in that vein, but instead he seemed to be going mainstream with a studio film, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube, which seemed to be an action/adventure set in the Gulf War, at least if you only saw the trailer(which left me going "Huh?").
After seeing the film, it's clear to me that Russell is now one of the major talents to emerge from the 90's, as this is a masterpiece.As I mentioned before, the trailer was confusing, but while the movie is clear, Russell(who re-wrote a script by John Ridley, though there's a lot of contention over who exactly did what) makes clear from the beginning his intention to throw curves at us whenever he can, starting with Wahlberg asking as he draws his sights on an Iraqi soldier, "Are we still shooting at people?"  He shoots the soldier anyway, and is immediately remorseful when he sees the soldier was holding a white flag.
The movie goes from there to soldiers who, although in a celebratory mood, are still somewhat puzzled as to why they're there, a reporter(played well by the underused Nora Dunn) who can't help but talk in cliches, a tanker which, when shot, turns out to be holding milk, and Iraqi refugees who thought Americans were going to liberate them from Saddam Hussein and now are suffering because of it.
It's this attitude which makes the otherwise normal-sounding plot - Clooney, Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze play soldiers turned thieves who end up with a conscience - play as anything but normal-sounding.Another thing which helps is the photography(I forget the guy's name, but he also did THE USUAL SUSPECTS).
For those who saw the good in the Gulf War, saw how many people America helped and was proud to live in the Western world.Three Kings is an anti-war film.
Then coming to grips with its consequences.Of course, Saddam Hussein is depicted in the customary role of the villain, but then so is George Bush whose abandonment of the Iraqi people he had called to rise against Saddam is illustrated with examples of human suffering - emotional as well as physical.Don't get the idea that this is a bleak and 'worthy' film, in many ways it is, but it does it with such style and black humour - that forces you to laugh even while being disgusted or perturbed - that it is eminently watchable.
But still edgy, I was pleased to see one couple walk out (though they might just have gone to the toilet, who knows, I was absorbed by the film and didn't pay enough attention).Director, David O Russell, ensures that the film never gets carried away with action scenes - bullets have consequences (good and bad) even when fired by an all-American soldier.
I've seen it all too often before to care about nameless victims that stand in the way of the power, wit, and understanding of the hard-bitten, long-serving soldier, wielding a justice in the shape of a gun.Russell claimed to make every bullet count in the film, and in one memorably calm scene of confusion and crossfire, he certainly does.
I don't think I've ever seen a 'war movie' that is sometimes shocking, but also funny, one that criticizes the politicians for what they did during the war, but also offers a big adventure at the same time...The story goes like this: A few days after the first Gulf War has ended, a group of American soldiers come across a secret Iraqi map.
They go on an adventure to find a lot of gold.The acting and the story in this movie are really good and more than just worth a watch.
Russell did an excellent job writing and directing this movie and George Clooney gave one of the best performances of the year.
Russell kept an even tone throughout the entire movie and perfectly blended the action,black comedy,and war genres into what was one of the year's best.
And, I believe, it gives an honest account of what life is like for the people of the Middle East.Fine acting by truly fine actors, great cinematography, and a very intelligent script make this a must see film..
I remember when THREE KINGS was released in Britain it got a lot of great reviews from the press and remember one of these reviews described it as " The best war movie since APOCALYPSE NOW " Well after watching THREE KINGS I`ve got to ask if this newspaper film critic has actually seen APOCALYPSE NOW ?
She might have seen THREE KINGS but in no way is it " The best war movie since APOCALYPSE NOW " .
The uprising had started when the US army had encouraged civilians to rebel but now will not support them.When I first saw the trailer for this I knew nothing about it  from the way it was marketed I had assumed it was going to be a modern day `Kelly's Heroes' with bright comedy and good action scenes.
The anti-war message is also hammered home in the gross close-up shots of how a bullet damages a body.It's only in the final half hour that the film goes a little wrong  looking for an ending that isn't depressing in a subject that really can't have a `happy' ending and please American audiences.
The film advertises itself as a comedy (especially with it starring George Clooney) and tries to be funny but at the same time deals with subjects far too serious to be made light of.
What makes this movie stand out is how at ease it is with its subject matter; letting comedy mix with the sort of serious politics that make a lot of people pick their words with great care.The misleading trailer for this film fits in perfectly with what it's trying to achieve.
Barlow, Gates, Elgin and Vig are Gulf War soldiers who take advantage of the jubilation and confusion at the end of that conflict to steal gold bullion originally stolen by Saddam Hussein's men.
Hopefully, he'll realise that he's not meant for action films--sooner than Harrison Ford has (see: "Seven Days and Seven Nights").I could go on about the contrivances, and the dreaded comic-relief of the profanity-ridden reporter, or the supposed timeliness of this movie about a war-for-our-times.
A thought-provoking war movie, an exciting action film, a hysterically funny comedy, and a moving drama...
And yes, the film is quite violent, and though not nearly as gory as war films such as Black Hawk Down, and Saving Private Ryan, there are still plenty of scenes that may churn the stomachs of squeamish viewers (the demonstration of how a bullet effects the body from the inside made me kind of nauseous).The performances are also great, and with a cast like this, I'm surprised that the movie doesn't have nearly as much recognition as it deserves.
Set during the Gulf war against Iraq, it's the story of a plot by three US soldiers to steal Kuwaiti gold bullion that had first been stolen by the Iraqis after the invasion.
But the movie then takes twists and turns and these three (George Clooney, Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg) then somehow get transformed into heroes trying to help out a group of refugees trying to escape the country.I personally thought the three leads struggled mightily with their roles and never quite got a true hold on any of the characters.
I think this film was supposed to have combined action with satire, but what we get instead is a tendentious political screed from the director, who apparently opposed the Gulf War and who is willing to use whatever propaganda weapon at his disposal to get us to agree with him (at the expense of entertaining us).
He says the truth: Michael Jackson changed his color because he wanted to.George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg are too handsome Americans who make this movie very interesting..
Good movie that blends comedy, drama, extreme violence and politics together and makes each element work.
Because that way, I didn't feel like I wasted as much money on this piece of garbage.I love movies = I have seen virtually every film out in theaters today.
Russell is a good director and this is his best film, to date.The bullet traveling through the body sequence holds the viewer in awe and the way Russell decides to depict the action sequences in some scenes.
Three Kings is an American film directed by David O Russell who is neither a Hollywood big shot director nor an iconoclast of American independent cinema.The best thing about him that can be said is that he has his own style of film-making as evident in comic films like "Spanking the Monkey" and "Flirting with disaster".Three Kings is a light hearted attempt by David O Russell to fathom the complexities of a war and the humane issues involved to it."Three Kings" appeals to viewers as it has elements of both comedy films as well as drama films.The comic scenes reflect American sense of humor whereas dramatic scene are likely to have universal appeal.Three Kings is also a multifaceted film which talks of various things which make sense to us in our daily lives such as alien culture,greed,media and war.The key focus is on the lives of soldiers of all kinds who have to perform all kinds of tasks including some bad,mean and wicked tasks.It is because of this that there are umpteen moments of pleasant surprises in this film.If somebody wants to remember "Three Kings" then it can be said that it is one of the best films which reveal a lot about the mental and emotional buildup of army men albeit in a comic fashion.David O Russell has made a truly enjoyable film with hardly any moment of boredom.PS: any similarity to "Kelly's Heroes" must surely be construed as a pure coincidence..
The dialogue with Marky Mark(a good actor) and his interrogator is nauseating: 'We Americans made Michael Jackson the freak he is'-what crap--(by the way, I don't believe he started calling himself the `King of Pop' as he is referred to in this movie until he was promoting his album in late 1991).
I believe this is due to the movie constantly switching genres: slapstick, indie, satire, action, comic book comedy, drama, political commentary -- which  can be distracting.So, be cautious about watching Three Kings.
Its colours, style of presentation, camera-work, characterisations of characters, music, direction, art, all are just absolutely brilliant!!!I bought the DVD three years ago and have seen the movie many times!!!
The characters help make it a believable movie with excellent performances all round - especially Clooney and Wahlberg.There are many scenes in this movie which are great fun - one that springs to mind is the scene where Gates (Clooney) and Elgin (Ice Cube) are trying to persuade Iraqis to lend them a fleet of Mercedes Benz cars without any success.Although I love the typical war movies such as Saving Private Ryan, Platoon, Apocalypse Now and so on, this is refreshingly different.
But their human nature may stand in the way.The Setup"Three Kings" is set in the aftermath of the first Gulf War. It involves about four men from the U.S. army finding out where gold is hidden in Iraq, and their mission as they go out to find it for themselves.
Especially if you like dark comedies, violent comedies, dramas, romance movies, and "Fight Club." You've gotta like one of those, and if you don't, steer away from "Three Kings." But if you're open to one of the most dark, humorous and gritty war films in recent years, open your ears, shut up and watch the movie.
Amid the partying and confusion, four American soldiers (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze), determined to take home more than sand fleas, go off into the Iraqi desert to find millions in stolen Kuwaiti bullion.
Russell's unique tapestry of humor, violence and history" is noted by critics, on the DVD sleeve, as one of the best films of the year."Three Kings" starts out by being satirically funny; but, it eases away from the comedy genre during the running.
The surreal sequence, beginning with the shooting of the Iraqi mother, recalls Sergei Eisenstein's "Potemkin" (1925).Contrary to the title, which is taken from the Christmas carol, the film focuses on four American soldiers - handsome "E.R." star George Clooney (as Archie Gates), "Good Vibrations" hunk and underwear model Mark Wahlberg (as Troy Barlow), ex-"N.W.A" and "It Was a Good Day" rapper Ice Cube (as Chief Elgin), and "MTV" video director Spike Jonze (as Conrad Vig).
The casting of the film is particularly good and became the base of George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg's strong working relationship.
Graphic violence and strong language makes this a believable war time story.Very good supporting cast that includes Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Judy Greer, Jamie Kennedy and Nora Dunn..
The humorous tone that Russell adopts through most of the film serves it well and the camaraderie is top-notch between the likes of Clooney, Wahlberg and Ice Cube.
Elsewhere, Ice Cube puts in a good turn as a god-fearing soldier, while Spike Jonze is funny and endearing as a backwoods hick.THREE KINGS offers up just the right balance of humour, pathos and action to make it a film for all the family.
It may not be one of the best films of 1999 (in itself a great year for good movies) but it comes pretty close..
Another film of the good old US of A kicking ass and saving the world is not what the world needs.However when forced to watch the movie by a George Clooney fan I was amazed to see that it was not "Independence Day in the Desert" but a funny, thaught provoking and at times moving film about modern warfare and the invasion of a foreign land not by Iraq but by the allied forces.A hollywood executive no doubt embarrased by such an unpatriotic view of his country obviously sought to disguise the true nature of the film to try to tempt US audiences to see the movie.
The standout performance comes from Mark Wahlberg, who has become one of Hollywood's real talents.It took far too long for the film industry to challenge the media whitewash of the dubious Gulf War, but "Three Kings" is a good first step..
But I would like to add that in my opinion, Three Kings is a brilliant example of a multi-genre movie, brilliantly acted and a real eye opener for anyone who  had even the faintest of interests in the Gulf War (i.e: Everyone!).
George Clooney (Out of Sight, The Peacemaker) stars as a man in the army who along with Mark Wahlberg (Boogie Nights, The Big Hit), Ice Cube (Anaconda, The Player's Club), and Spike Jonze (director of Being John Malkovich) have come upon a map which they believe leads them to a fortune in stolen gold.
The film starts off with comedy, then adds action, then the drama without losing anything it had before and still showing the horrors of war (though there are no major battles or anything).
The music throughout the entire movie is absolutely HORRENDOUS and SUCKS @$$ (except for the U2 song at the very end), but that is the one and ONLY complaint I could even come close to making about this film.It is a fairly graphic war story, so if you are easily grossed out or don't want to have to see innocent people get shot and killed, then avoid it, but if you can stand some realism, then this film is an absolute must-see!
The story is EXTREMELY powerful -- I can't think of another war movie even remotely like this one (no, I have NOT seen the Thin Red Line OR Saving Private Ryan, so I can't compare this to them), but my previous favorite war film was Full Metal Jacket (Long Live Kubrick!), and in my humble opinion, 3 Kings surpasses even this film monument.I can already hear people say: "But the three leads don't even know how to act, they're all hacks!"  Believe me, I though so too.
All three of them (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube) may have done some absolutely terrible and revolting work in the past, but this film is a milestone for their careers.
"Three Kings" combines drama, action, and comedy into this Gulf War flick.
As i went to see three kings, i did not really expect much other than an action/war movie, but it is so much more than that.
Russell's Three Kings manages to address all these issues indirectly as the first real Gulf War movie of substance.
George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and especially first-time actor Spike Jonze are all terrific as soldiers who are acting just our troops have won the war, yet face a dilemma of whether to aid the Iraqi rebels fighting Saddam.Three Kings perfectly captures the madness of the situation, and manages to be funny as well.
First off, the acting in Three Kings is amazing, George Clooney, Mark Whalberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonez, and the rest of the cast are so perfect for this film.
At no point does it lend itself to a shoot-em-up movie.I'm not big on George Clooney, but he, Ice Cube and Mark Walhberg actually step into some real acting here.
This movie stars George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze.