When a terrorist bomb detonates inside a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, an international incident is ignited. While diplomats slowly debate equations of territorialism, FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury quickly assembles an elite team and negotiates a secret five-day trip into Saudi Arabia to locate the madman behind the bombing. Upon landing in the desert kingdom, however, Fleury and his team discover Saudi authorities suspicious and unwelcoming of American interlopers, into what they consider a local matter. Hamstrung by protocol--and with the clock ticking on their five days--the FBI agents find their expertise worthless without the trust of their Saudi counterparts, who want to locate the terrorist in their homeland on their own terms. Fleury's crew finds a like-minded partner in Saudi Colonel Al-Ghazi, who helps them navigate royal politics and unlock the secrets of the crime scene. With these unlikely allies sharing a propulsive commitment to crack the case, the team is led to the killer's front door. Now in a fight for their own lives, strangers united by one mission won't stop until justice is found.

Sometimes I wish we didn’t live in such a politically correct world. There is nothing wrong with being PC but sometimes it can be used in such a heavy manner. The old saying goes you can please some of the people all the time, you can please all the people some of the time but you can’t please all of the people all of the time. When you have to cater to every group and every denomination at some point you become watered down and the movie loses a little bit of its message. I already know that not all Muslim’s are terrorists and that they like many American’s enjoy and celebrate family above all else. I also know that not all American’s are the good guys all you have to do is take a look at our inner city violence and crime to realize that being an American doesn’t necessarily make you a good guy just like being a Muslim does not make you a terrorists despite what the media and the government might try and make you believe.

I really liked the Kingdom, the film was one of those good paced action films that has a little bit of everything from drama to a little bit of comedic relief. That’s why I was a little disappointed that the film felt it needed to pander to everyone rather than just be what it is. I understand the world isn’t just black and white but more shades of gray but that’s the difference between the world and film, film can be black and white. There are a lot of bad people out there that want nothing more to harm you and me simply because of where we live and the film didn’t need to play with our sensibilities to make us understand that not all those of Arabic descent are bad guys. But then the film completely turns the entire thing on its end with one line at the end of the film. It’s the kind of ballsy line that I wanted and expected from the film and it boils the whole conflict down into a nice neat little nutshell.

Maybe I shouldn’t be so critical because the film was really good and it’s the kind of film I would watch over and over again but maybe that’s its appeal. If you notice most of the action films we get nostalgic about ten years down the road are the flawed ones. They aren’t perfect and they don’t paint a pretty picture at times that doesn’t exactly fit with our world but it’s those flaws that make them stand out. They don’t have the heavy-handed director that tries to iron or hammer out every flaw and make the film look too perfect, you have to suspend some disbelief at times or the film just doesn’t work. The last firefight is beyond unrealistic and didn’t go the way I thought it should but in the end it was crowd pleasing and the movie completely redeems itself in the final moments with one simple line of dialogue.

I am glad to see Jamie Foxx back in a movie that allows him to show his talent. He has mired himself in some blockbusters like Miami Vice and Stealth that were so poorly written you lose all sight of his talent. The Kingdom if nothing else is a masterful piece of writing that allows its actors to shine. The characters are believable, they feel real and you can emphasize with them. Chris Cooper also does a fantastic job as he seems like the person who would like to get down and dirty to solve this crime. He is harsh and real and feels like a military man. Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman feel a little out of place at times but they have such a fantastic set of costars that you can let it slide. The movie is sentimental, it does paint a politically correct picture but it is also not afraid to get its hands dirty too and not be too perfect and that is what makes it so good.

Grade: B+