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Three Kings

Three Kings (1999)

September. 27,1999
|
7.1
|
R
| Action Comedy War

A group of American soldiers stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a secret mission that's destined to change everything.

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Reviews

RipDelight
1999/09/27

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

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CrawlerChunky
1999/09/28

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

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Mathilde the Guild
1999/09/29

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

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Kimball
1999/09/30

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

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classicsoncall
1999/10/01

I didn't get the impression this was a humorous depiction of war as a lot of reviewers on this board seem to think. There were some funny situations and lines of dialog, but more to the point, it was a violent anti-war film taking place right after America's involvement in Desert Storm. As a quick review, that was a military operation in which international armed forces, including British and US troops, attacked Iraq during the Gulf War. It began on 16 January 1991 and lasted 100 days. The American military and President Bush take their share of hits in the picture, but so do the Iraqi soldiers who remain loyal to Saddam Hussein. The 'Saddam is coming' fake-out ploy was a pretty clever ruse used by Clooney and the Boys; it makes you wonder if something that absurd could have been gotten away with in the context of a real wartime situation. When the 'Three Kings' of the title start out it appears that they're all in it for themselves regarding the gold Saddam Hussein stole from Kuwait, but over the course of the story, their humanity is tested in a unique way. The surprise character in the film is definitely Conrad Vig, a generally clueless redneck who doesn't make it to the end of the movie. Portrayed by Spike Jonze in his first significant film role, Vig is the loyal friend and patriotic American who follows orders as long as he's pointed in the right direction. Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube lend commendable support to Clooney in an unconventional war movie, while Nora Dunn's Adriana Cruz attempts to get her story to the American people as a wartime correspondent.

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Mr-Fusion
1999/10/02

"Three Kings" is all over the map - sometimes funny, sometimes harrowing action, war/heist movie - and that erratic behavior works in its favor, up to a point. I was onboard and entertained for the movie's first 45 minutes, but then the movie becomes a bit too top-heavy, mired in its anti-war message and the racial tensions. Basically, once Mark Wahlberg is captured, it just sort of slogs. It feels like it's flavored by "Apocalypse Now" (sure seems as long). There's an uplifting (Hollywood) ending that gives the movie back its step, but between those bookends when the gold's in our main characters' possession, it's not nearly as interesting.I get the feeling this would've been a lot more subversive had I seen it 15 years ago. That's on me.6/10

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mbjustice
1999/10/03

This story follows three soldiers during Desert Storm in Iraq, where they test the ethics put upon them by the US military. They test the morality of themselves when a moment was created of "us or them". They lie, they steal because of greed, they don't follow orders, and for what? In the end to save innocent people from Saddam's dictatorship? Is human life, unknown human life, worth the sacrifice of your life? These are the questions that make you think in this movie and what it makes you face in that moment. My first impressions of the movie were not in favor of the rating you see above. The filmography seemed like a student trying to express their artistic abilities; it did not impress me. Just some shots seemed unnecessary or not appropriate for that particular scene. Some of the satire seemed really inappropriate. This was a time of total unrest and injustice among the Iraqi people. And so to try and make that traumatic experience "light", is honestly a very "white privilege" thing to do. One thing this film captured very well was the political unrest. While you had the peace treaty signed by the two nations, USA and Iraq, it was very hard to trust that as an American soldier or an Iraqi soldier. You had to put all your trust and faith that the other person would uphold that treaty with you. That is one thing the three main characters challenge, is the ethics of the peace treaty, and ultimately it being "us or them". Overall the movie is very good because of the political aspects, and the moral aspects; the testing of right and wrong and does that change depending on the situation? Acting was average, fight scenes were good. Although film will never truly capture the horror of war, this movie gives us a taste of the ability of man.

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slightlymad22
1999/10/04

I rarely hear people talk about this movie, even when discussing the movies of Clooney, Whalberg or screenwriter/director David O Russell. Yet I think it blends drama, action and surprising moments of humour very successfully.Based on a true story George Clooney Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube play three American soldiers who decide to steal some gold from Saddam Hussain that was originally stolen from Kuait. However things don't go as planned and complications arise.Spike Jonze and Cliff Curtis give solid support, but for me the stand out in the supporting cast was Saïd Taghmaoui as Captain Said. His transformation from eager to help the Americans to torturing one, was simply fascinating to watch!! The calmness of his interrogation as he paced calling his captive things like "my main man" and "Bro" was chilling. Some great performances all round, some well shot action scenes, and a good sense of atmosphere all make "Three Kings" a more than above average war time action flick

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