Three Kings Reviews

This superb — though very violent — mix of comedy, drama and action is set at the end of the Gulf War. Hearing a rumour that Saddam Hussein has stashed stolen gold in bunkers, US soldiers George Clooney, Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg embark on a secret field trip with the help of a map they find concealed about an Iraqi soldier's person (you don't want to know where). It seems simple enough: grab the bullion and be rich for the rest of their lives. However, when they encounter Iraqi dissidents being tortured by Saddam's men, the guys reluctantly agree to help them. Wittily scripted by director David O Russell, it boasts terrific performances (especially from Clooney) and takes some well-aimed stabs at the late 20th-century phenomenon of war waged on television. Reckless, gripping and unmissable.

Ironic, blackly humorous drama that manages to take seriously the messy mechanics of war while staying within most of the conventions of a caper movie, and adding some unsettling photographic effects to the genre.

"...[THREE KINGS is] impudently comic, stylistically aggressive....Clooney, Cube and, particularly, Wahlberg deliver rugged and well-considered turns..."

This superb — though very violent — mix of comedy, drama and action is set at the end of the Gulf War. Hearing a rumour that Saddam Hussein has stashed stolen gold in bunkers, US soldiers George Clooney, Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg embark on a secret field trip with the help of a map they find concealed about an Iraqi soldier's person (you don't want to know where). It seems simple enough: grab the bullion and be rich for the rest of their lives. However, when they encounter Iraqi dissidents being tortured by Saddam's men, the guys reluctantly agree to help them. Wittily scripted by director David O Russell, it boasts terrific performances (especially from Clooney) and takes some well-aimed stabs at the late 20th-century phenomenon of war waged on television. Reckless, gripping and unmissable.

Ironic, blackly humorous drama that manages to take seriously the messy mechanics of war while staying within most of the conventions of a caper movie, and adding some unsettling photographic effects to the genre.

"...[THREE KINGS is] impudently comic, stylistically aggressive....Clooney, Cube and, particularly, Wahlberg deliver rugged and well-considered turns..."

Ranked #6 in Rolling Stone's "Ten Best Movies of 1999" -- "...An acutely funny and astutely provocative [satire]..."

Having lanced the boil of 'family values' in Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disater, former indie director... read more on Time Out

"...Zeal and inventiveness....It's impossible not to be impressed..." -- 4 out of 5 stars