movie: The Kingdom...wow

[CountGlockula]

Just watched it last night AND this morning!

AWESOME!!!

 

[Afy]

Its fairly accurate on what life in Saudi is like...

 

[eerw]

I've got the DVD, and there's is a really cool special feature that allows you to watch the end room clearing action scene from each character's POV. It's without music and without the polished and edited camera look of the final move, so it seems like you're really there. The best part is, it goes through the ENTIRE sequence as one shot, so it's not like Jamie Foxx and the Saudi bust into a room shoot a few rounds, and the director Cuts and they set up the next scene. They follow each character from the time they get out of the vehicles to the end of the knife fight, start to finish, no cuts.

thought that was cool feature on the DVD..best part of the movie..you need to see this if you can.

 

[paintballdude902]

i really liked it ive since watched it 3-4 times

i really like the end when the girl staps the guy.....ive got the same knife if my daily carry knife so i was like DUDE!!!!! THATS MY KNIFE

 

[neviander]

I don't think the end scene was a candy*** message from hollywood. To me it was saying that there will be no end to the war on terror until one side is eliminated.

*raises one eyebrow* That's a good point, I hadn't considered that; at least not concerning this movie.

 

[kwelz]

Great Flick, just saw it. I personally did not find the the ending candy***. There are a couple ways of looking at it. Personally I see it as showing that each side thinks they are in the right, just like someone else said. The little girl Hates the U.S. for killing her Grandfather. It doesn't matter what he did, she just saw him gunned down.

As much as I am NOT a pacifist, it is True that senseless Violence just propagates More senseless Violence. There is also a lesson in the fact that they did not "Kill Them all" and in fact became friends with people that they initially distrusted. They killed who need to be killed and stopped there.

 

[jcjacobvt]

Quote:
How can you tell it's a G3 and not an FAL? They look really similiar, so what am I missing?

Atla:

This will help, it has pictures from the movie and the actual weapons.


http://www.imfdb.org/index.php?title=The_Kingdom

Correction

Even the movie company got the G3 labeled WRONG.
The G3A2 is the correct name for the H&K weapon used with the full stock. The G3A3 was the retractable stocked G3.

The semi models had the same A numbers used as following

A2 was regular barrel full stock
A3 was regular barrel retractable stock
A4 was polygonal bore barrel full stock
A5 was polygonal bore barrel retractable stock

 

[strambo]

I don't think the end scene was a candy*** message from hollywood. To me it was saying that there will be no end to the war on terror until one side is eliminated.

Except that's not the case. One side is initiating killing, the other side is reactionary. Another way the killing could stop is by the terrorists just choosing to stop blowing up innocent people. It has happened with the IRA in N. Ireland as they have increasingly chosen political means over violence.

I don't believe the radical Islamic terrorists will do that...but it is up to them...not simply "the way it is". When one side only reacts to killing and another initiates it (and against innocent people) the two aren't the equivalent of each other.

If we were talking about the POV of a WWII German soldier vs. a WWII US soldier, sure. Just two 18yo kids fighting for their country, the moral issues are with the leaders. Terrorists, however, operate as independent cells, sanctioned by no nation and choose offensive violence against a civilian populace. All they have to do to end the killing (on both sides)...is stop killing people.

 

[ripcurl]

I recorded it on HBO last night, can't wait to check it out. looks cool.

 

[esmith]

If we were talking about the POV of a WWII German soldier vs. a WWII US soldier, sure. Just two 18yo kids fighting for their country, the moral issues are with the leaders. Terrorists, however, operate as independent cells, sanctioned by no nation and choose offensive violence against a civilian populace. All they have to do to end the killing (on both sides)...is stop killing people.

I agree. Islamic jihadists aren't people you can reason with, they have already proven themselves past the point of savages. Therefore there should only be one way for them, and i know this isn't highroad but it should be said, total annihilation.

 

[Regen]

Regarding the heavy use of HK weapons in this movie. Is it due to HK paying for product placement or due Saudi forces use a large number of HK products?

 

[.cheese.]

is this on DVD? I looked for it but couldn't find it in FYE and Best Buy. I was looking in the action section.

 

[Josh Aston]

I don't believe the radical Islamic terrorists will do that...but it is up to them...not simply "the way it is". When one side only reacts to killing and another initiates it (and against innocent people) the two aren't the equivalent of each other.

I didn't say the sides are equivalent. Didn't even imply it. But there will be no end to the war until one side is eliminated. There are three option here, they eliminate us, we eliminate them, the war goes on. Only the second one sounds good to me, but unfortunately our country doesn't have the fortitude to take care of business.

P.S. I know how the terrorists operate, I've been over there. I've fought with them. To think that they would just stop killing us is naive. They can't even stop killing each other long enough to kill us. If they would react like other countries we've whooped up on and realize that we're bigger than them, we're not going away, and we will inflict massive amounts of pain on them if they don't stop, then maybe they'd stop. But they don't react that way, instead they take every action we make to further fuel their religious fervor. Logic does not work with them. Just like liberals only emotion works for them. And just like liberals they channel that emotion into the destruction of our country.

P.P.S. My apologies to the true liberals. I'm not grouping you in the same crowd as the ones bent on our destruction.

 

[Stevie-Ray]

is this on DVD? I looked for it but couldn't find it in FYE and Best Buy. I was looking in the action section.

Yup, I got it at BB quite a while ago. Should be pretty cheap, now. Pretty good 5.1 surround track with it. But I sure wish they would start taking advantage of 7.1, or at least provide more action movies with DTS.

 

[strambo]

I know you don't think they're equivalent Josh. I feel that the movie implied that when they had a character from each side use the exact same language in reaction to killing.

I see you are from Fairbanks, I was stationed at Ft. Wainwright from 99-02. Stay warm.

 

[Darthbauer]

I watched it again on HBO last night. It's still a really good move even after seeing it a few times.

 

[.cheese.]

Yup, I got it at BB quite a while ago. Should be pretty cheap, now. Pretty good 5.1 surround track with it. But I sure wish they would start taking advantage of 7.1, or at least provide more action movies with DTS.

Was it in action? Maybe I just missed it. I'll check again tomorrow.

 

[Ukraine Train]

Its fairly accurate on what life in Saudi is like...

Can you elaborate? I don't really know much about the area. I thought the movie was great, but of course there will be inaccuracies in anything out of Hollywood.

 

[lysander]

Except that's not the case. One side is initiating killing, the other side is reactionary.

Doesn't this boil down to a "he hit me first" sort of argument...and if so, can you show me the point where who hit whom when?

I took from this film the more balanced message that violence perpetuates violence...and that each side shares blame in the larger sense.

 

[Ukraine Train]

I agree. It was a good juxtaposition of viewpoints.

 

[esmith]

Doesn't this boil down to a "he hit me first" sort of argument...and if so, can you show me the point where who hit whom when?

I took from this film the more balanced message that violence perpetuates violence...and that each side shares blame in the larger sense.

Yeah, i can. 9/11. Seems America has forgotten. And the media is only to blame.

 

[cslinger]

Incredible movie and count me amongst the ones who don't think the ending was bad. I think it was very powerful and had lots of subtle meanings that include both that this will be a long war with both sides willing to fight and die to the end and also that in the end killing is generally wrong. (Of course I believe terrorist enemies or any true enemies should be confronted and either killed or captured, but at the end of the day the world would be a better place if we could find a way to leave each other the F' alone.) Even justified killing should be avoided at all costs IMHO, even though I understand that in the real world that it is necessary at times.

My personal take is that the world would be a better place if we could all just get drunk, throw a few punches now and then, buy each other a shot and hug each other slobbering I love you man at the end of the night.

 

[lysander]

Yeah, i can. 9/11. Seems America has forgotten. And the media is only to blame.

If you think 9/11 was an unprovoked first blow...I would argue that you are being a bit shortsighted. Even if you toss out any notion of blowback as a consequence of US foreign policy decisions, 9/11 doesn't even qualify as a "first strike" on the part of our enemy du-jour.

As many hawkish policy wonks are keen to point out, 9/11 was one in a string of attacks. (i.e. the attack on the Cole, the 1st bombing of the WTC, etc.)

Now, regarding this film, I think the makers went to lengths to show how enemies can be inherited generationally (you'll note that Fox's character, and the OBL stand-in, both share scenes with children where they ruminate about the nature of "bad guys.") The filmmakers also did a good job of highlighting the reciprocal nature of conflict.

...as Bruce Lee played by Jason Scott Lee said in Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, "You touch me, I touch you back."

All of this begs the questions that I would contend the writers of this film were asking, those being: Who started this and why? Can there ever be a winner and if so, how?

...but that is just my take on this movie.

All that being said, the shootout scenes were pretty well done. Definitely reminiscent of Heat. I thought the room to room sequence at the end was really well put together.

 

[VegasOPM]

I watched it this morning- it was fantastic. The last 20 minutes was amazing, total BS, but amazing. I loved the part where he kicked away the camera to buy himself some time- the terrorists have to have propaganda.

As for the "kill them all" lines, I have to say that it was a powerful scene. We want to kill them and they want to kill us is what I got from that line. Right or wrong that seems to be the case.

 

[myrockfight]

I first watched this while in the army, we liked it, then we watched home of the brave with Samuel Jackson and 50 cent we had fun tearing that terrible movie apart you would think with "military advisors" and costume people lurking around the set that they might be able to at least figure out how to wear a beret properly

You would think someone who had an English class every year all the way through school would know how to use commas and periods too. LOL


I just saw The Kingdom on HBO the other day. I thought it was great. Especially since it wasn't like every other U.S. bashing movie concerning the same type of events to come out of Hollywood. Kudos to the director Berg. The comment at the end certainly wasn't pacifist. I agree that the comment was a simple statement that had more to do with the interaction of our cultures and how we both think. I'm surprised that no one has mentioned the obvious irony.

The gun work in the movie was great. Two thumbs up!


The only problem I had with it, was the music reeked of Friday Night Lights due to the music. I have a very auditorily (is that a word?) stimulated memory, but I was thinking FNL every time the music was playing. Not that it isn't good, it is just easily distinguishable. Anyone else notice that?