THREE KINGS (1999)
Reviewed by Jack Choo Directed by David ORussell Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube Running Time : 2hrs Rating : ****1/2 out of *****
At first glance, THREE KINGS looks to be just another war movie, the 90s version of all those favourite war movies with names I cannot remember. The 90s version, it definitely is, just another war movie? Not in your dreams! Imagine PULP FICTION approach to SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, thats THREE KINGS for you. Believe it or not, it bears the cool of the former and the stark humane meaning of the latter. The story brings us to the twilight of the Gulf war, with the allied troops victorious. Majpr Archie Gates (Clooney) leads an enterprising bunch of grunts to a rather unorthodox post-war looting spree; the millions in gold bars secretly stowed away by Saddam in a desolate village in the desert. As the rest of the troops are celebrating their victory and getting ready to be shipped home, this `wild bunch goes AWOL on an armed Hum-Vee (the vehicle of choice of the US army). They soon find out that they have much resistance, as they get tangled with the local rebellion against Saddams forces. Frequently switching their modes between looters and Robin Hoods Merry Men, they become consciously attacked by their own morals. As the film begins to roll, it seemed to have a rather `light mood to it. `Special effects such as when Gates describes to his men how a bullet can kill simply paves the way for a light-hearted funny action movie. THREE KINGS is much smarter than that. As the conflict becomes more and more complex, the audience will be trapped in a limbo, trying to stay focussed on that light-mood/serious-mood that the film seem to portray. I personally found this analogous to the same feelings of the main characters involved in the film; trapped between their initial plan paved by greed and their own sense of humanity. This simply made the entire experience of watching THREE KINGS truly brilliant. Action sequences are not shot as your old-fashioned war films nor anything like Steven Spielbergs in-your-face war violence. They are carefully built to generate tension with just the right tight close-ups and pauses, right before the action starts. Not John Woo for sure but more of Sergio Leones Spaghetti western style (tons of them starring Clint Eastwood). Great performances by Clooney and Wahlberg but the brilliance have to lie in the conception of this film; the screenwriter and the director. THREE KINGS ranks among the best films of the year, well, for me at least. Highly recommended.
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