Three Kings

One of Hollywood's best films about the Middle East, Three Kings (1999) holds up remarkably well twelve years and three "interventions" later. Like another Groggy favorite, The Wind and the Lion, David O. Russell's Gulf War opus is a pointed treatsie on American foreign policy disguised as a macho action flick.

March 1991. The Persian Gulf War has ended, with the US-led coalition expelling Iraqi troops from Kuwait but leaving Saddam Hussein in power. Special Forces Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) hears that a trio of soldiers - First Sergeant Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg), Staff Sergeant Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) and Private Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze) - have discovered an "ass map" detailing the location of stolen Kuwaiti gold within Iraq, and conspire to "liberate" it. Gates and his cohorts find Iraqi's Shia population rebelling against Saddam, but without American support they're slaughtered in brutal reprisals. The Americans try to focus on the mission, but spiralling Iraqi atrocities force them to get involved.

Three Kings borrows its basic plot from Kelly's Heroes, the goofy Clint Eastwood vehicle which had World War II GIs searching for German gold and inadvertently kickstarting the liberation of France. Russell's film, however, is much more serious, even as it retains a darkly comic edge. It's the rare action movie that takes its content seriously, and I hope you'll forgive me for a longer-than-usual review.

Plenty of Middle East-themed films have been made since 2001, but most are burdened with the usual "issue movie" baggage. Syriana and Lions for Lambs try to be cerebral but play as obnoxious PC posturing, and even Munich struggles with moral equivalence. Occasionally we get throwbacks like The Kingdom, whose puerile culture clash jokes seem anachronistic. Movies actually dealing with Afghanistan (Brothers) and Iraq (The Hurt Locker) generally have little to say.

Made two years before 9/11, Three Kings seems remarkably prescient. Despite the Gulf War's tactical success, the failure to remove Saddam left a bad taste. The opening scene, where Troy mistakenly kills a surrendering Iraqi, sets the tone immediately. American soldiers don't know why they're fighting, and all Troy can do when interrogated by an Iraqi Captain (Said Taghmoui) is spout propaganda. The toned-down depiction of Republican Guard atrocities against Shiite rebels throws the moral posture into question: If America's on the side of the angels, how can they let this happen? The liberation of Kuwait isn't unjustified, but as with our heroes self-interest takes precedence over moral concerns.

The strangest thing about Three Kings is that it's a liberal film. Eight years of George W. Bush made people forget that humanitarian intervention is a liberal idea: hence Clinton's dispatch of troops to Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo (and our current difficulties in Libya). The film is very smart in showing that even "humanitarian" wars have consequences - rebel Amir (Cliff Curtis) lost his business to American bombs - but it ultimately endorses the Magnificent Seven scenario of gun-toting Americans rescuing downtrodden Iraqis. Again, one is reminded of The Wind and the Lion, where Marines on a political mission are shanghaied into an impromptu rescue: "I'd like to throw in with you. And God help us!"



It's easy to quibble with Three Kings' depiction of the Gulf War. All wars have unforseen consequences, even the rare, unquestionably justified ones: didn't World War II give us nuclear weapons and the Cold War? And since 2003, we've seen that the alternative to keeping Saddam around was problematic, to say the least. But the overall message is powerful: American interventions in the Middle East, whether for democracy, oil or counterterrorism, have consequences, and we ignore them at our peril.

Three Kings won't disappoint those looking for action and thrills, either. There are plenty of excitingly-staged gun battles and action scenes, with enough variety in stylization to keep from growing repetitive. It's also a very funny film, with a lot of great dialogue (the protagonists debating which Arab slurs are acceptable) and clever gags. There are a few pointed digs at the news media, with Nora Dunn's ratings-hungry reporter ("Stupid fucking birds!") and her rival (Judy Greer) sleeping with Gates for a story.

Russell's direction is heavily stylized, with use of handheld, Steadicam and tinted photography. A variety of editing choices - slow-motion shootouts, quick cut fantasy sequences - make for arresting viewing, as do the unique insert shots of bullets destroying organs and internal structures. Russell's script is extremely clever, turning throwaway gags into key plot points: a running argument about whether Lexus makes convertibles, and a Nerf skeet shooting scene have big payoffs. The only flaw is a happy ending, which undermines the caustic message a bit.

This film gave a huge career boost to its trio of stars, each struggling to break into "serious" acting. Mark Wahlberg scored a success with Boogie Nights two years earlier, but George Clooney was still struggling to shake off E.R. and Batman and Robin and Ice Cube worked to build off his cult hits Boyz n the Hood and Friday. All three stars are at the top of their game: Clooney mixing cocky and cynical, Wahlberg exuding confused intensity, Cube the stoic anchor.

Cliff Curtis (The Insider) and Said Taghmaoui (The Kite Runner) give layered portrayals of Iraqis caught up in the war. Spike Jonze's dumb Private and Nora Dunn's (Pineapple Express) self-absorbed reporter get some big laughs. Mykelti Williamson (Forrest Gump) and Holt McCallany (Rough Riders) play befuddled superior officers.

Three Kings is smart, funny and entertaining. If I've dwelt excessively on the politics, it's only because the movie actually has something to say about its hot-button content (Rambo, anyone?). Whether you enjoy it is a smarter-than-average war movie or an interesting look at the Middle East, Three Kings is excellent.