The cinematography is reminiscent of Ridley and Tony Scott films, a washed out look that's been implemented very well over recent years, most notably in hits such as "Gladiator", and "Man on Fire".
The film starts off with a terrorist bomb being ignited in a Western housing compound in Saudi Arabia. This turns into an international powder keg (no pun intended). An elite FBI team is put together, led by FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx). The team has five days to secretly find those responsible for the bombing, and the proverbial clock is ticking.
Unfortunately for the team, most of the Saudis they run into are quite uncooperative. In fact most of the Saudis they meet are not happy that these Americans have been sent in to interfere with a local matter. Fleury and the team quickly realize that they have to win the local Saudi's trust if they want to succeed in catching the terrorists.
Luckily for the FBI team, they find a comrade in Saudi Colonel Al-Ghazi played with great sincerity by Ashraf Barhoum. At first Colonel Al-Ghazi blocks the teams every move, but eventually he and Ronald see eye to eye, teaming up to find the terrorist cell that was responsible, and doing what needs to be done.
This film boasts a great supporting cast that includes Chris Cooper, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven and Jennifer Garner. Unfortunately these talented actors are used mostly as window dressing. It seems like they're not given enough to do here; and for the most part, what could be a great supporting cast is wasted.
The action has the realistic feel of the "Bourne" franchise, in other words an exciting but believable quality to it. At times it also falls into the same trappings visually as "Bourne Supremacy" did. The camera work focuses too much on close ups, and the shaky “put you in the action” style of filming that’s become popular in recent years. This causes confusion as to what is actually happening in certain sequences, and just like the aforementioned second installment of the Bourne franchise, it begins to not only create uncertainty as to what's transpiring, it also begins to exhaust the viewer. Although, the film does succeed in holding your attention, and making you care just enough about what’s going on to forgive the sometimes jittery camera work.
Where it fails, is in trying to make itself something more profound. The film attempts to give the viewer easy answers to very nuanced questions. Towards the end, the film devolves into a shoot em up between our heroes, and the evil faceless villains. It plays to your emotions of right and wrong, but it does so with all the subtlety of a grenade launcher.
In the end, “The Kingdom” is a decent action film that wants you to believe that the answer to the many problems in the Middle East is some good ol' fashioned ass kicking... It's funny sometimes how art really does imitate life.
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