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THREE KINGS Send This Review to a Friend
This is more than just an action-packed war movie. "Three Kings," while entertaining as an adventure film punctuated with wry humor, delivers a mocking comment on the Gulf War experience. What were we really fighting for? At the end of the war, as depicted in the action set in Iraq, the scene is total chaos, with killing still rampant, and often random, with the opponents of Sadaam Hussein left to fend for themselves and with rival groups, including venturesome American soldiers, vying to get rich by seizing some of Sadaam's gold.
The film's attitude is reminiscent of "M*A*S*H," although not as nutty. But the writing and direction by David O. Russell fixes on the irony and insanity that arises in a vast killing field engulfing soldiers and civilians struggling to survive under impossible conditions. Bravery and self-sacrifice are mixed with greed and desperation. One moment we see someone's head blown apart, and the next moment we're laughing.
Charismatic George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube make up the Special Forces threesome determined to locate the stash of gold bricks after they find a map protruding from an Iraqi captive's ass. They're hell-bent for their goal, which involves plenty of shooting along the way. Ultimately they must make a choice involving the humanitarian rescue of Sadaam's opponents in defiance of military orders. The excitement lies in the way Russell spins the tale and in the characters who appear along the way. Nora Dunn has an amusing role as a tough, determined CNN-type broadcast journalist.
"Three Kings" isn't a great war picture, but it's a strong, irreverently entertaining one. A Warner Bros. release.
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