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"THE KINGDOM" (2007) (Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Minor Extreme Extreme Extreme Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Moderate Mild Heavy None Extreme Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Mild Mild Moderate Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Drama/Action: Four FBI agents travel to Saudi Arabia without permission to investigate a coordinated attack and multiple bombing that killed their comrade. PLOT: When terrorists strike an American compound for oil employees in Saudi Arabia and end up killing an FBI agent, the man's comrades argue that they must strike back as soon as possible and, at minimum, travel there to investigate the scene for clues about the perpetrators. Despite not getting permission to do so, team leader Ronald Fleury (JAMIE FOXX) covertly travels there with bomb expert Grant Sykes (CHRIS COOPER), forensics technician Janet Mayes (JENNIFER GARNER), and intelligence analyst Adam Leavitt (JASON BATEMAN). When word gets out about this unauthorized mission, various officials such as FBI director James Grace (RICHARD JENKINS) and Attorney General Gideon Young (DANNY HUSTON) are not pleased. Nor is State Department liaison Damon Schmidt (JEREMY PIVEN) who's on the scene, worried about protocol and how the less than refined quartet will be received by the royal family. The four have bigger concerns, however, with the various Saudi officials who've been assigned to the case, such as General Al Abdulmalik (MAHMOUD SAID) who wrongly accuses guard Sergeant Haytham (ALI SULIMAN) of being one of the terrorists, while Colonel Faris Al Ghazi (ASHRAF BARHOM) is the one who stops the general from beating Haytham for information. None is pleased about the quartet's presence or the cultural differences between the two groups. Nevertheless, Ronald and his crew continue pressing their case, including for increased investigative access. That's eventually granted, and with the newfound trust of Al Ghazi, they set out to find out who's responsible for the deadly bombing and stop them before it happens again. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into hard-hitting action flicks or are fans of someone in the cast, they just might. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For intense sequences of graphic brutal violence, and for language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: JAMIE FOXX plays a father and FBI agent who breaks the rules by leading a small team into Saudi Arabia to investigate a recent bombing that took the life of one of their comrades. Determined to find the culprit, he must put up with various dangers as well as cultural and political roadblocks in his way. He uses some profanity and kills many bad guys. CHRIS COOPER plays the team's sardonic bomb expert who's good at what he does, uses some strong profanity, and also kills bad guys. JENNIFER GARNER plays the team's forensics expert who must contend with being female in a country that subjugates its women. She uses strong profanity and kills various terrorists. JASON BATEMAN plays the young intelligence analyst who seems in over his head, delivers various wisecracks, uses strong profanity, and must contend with being kidnapped and nearly executed. ASHRAF BARHOM plays the local colonel working the case who's initially reluctant to allow the Americans to do their job, but eventually joins them. He kills various terrorists. ALI SULIMAN plays a sergeant who also works the case despite being wrongly beaten as a potential suspect. He kills various bad guys. MAHMOUD SAID plays the no-nonsense Saudi general in charge of the investigation, and he wrongly beats Haytham while thinking he's a terrorist. JEREMY PIVEN plays a U.S. State Department official who's worried that the FBI team might rankle the royals. RICHARD JENKINS plays the FBI director who doesn't approve of the team's secret mission, but backs them when it comes to defending their motives. DANNY HUSTON plays the U.S. Attorney General who isn't pleased about the team's actions and uses some strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: Here's a brief summary of the content found in this R-rated dramatic action picture. Profanity consists of at least 24 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. A brief reference is made about a woman's t-shirt covered breasts (in an Arab culture), and brief sexual humor and a related comment are also present. Violence consists of many people being killed in various ways (shootings, massive explosions, stabbing, etc.), much of which has varying amount of bloodiness, while those scenes and moments of peril (especially a long battle sequence at the end of the film, including a near execution via beheading) might be unsettling or tense to viewers. Some of the action and other behavior might be enticing for imitation, while various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes, and tense family material includes familial deaths. Brief drinking and smoking are present. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that in a hallway during a gun battle late in the film. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, nearly nonstop, handheld camera footage appears in the film (often bouncy, nearly always showing some form of camera movement). ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE We see miscellaneous drinking. Grant says that when he returns home, he's going to order a particular type of beer, with some related talk following that. BLOOD/GORE Terrorists shoot two guards in their vehicle (with bloody results), and then shoot more people (with bloody results). They're then shot dead (also with bloody results). Several explosions then kill and wound more people (with bloody results). Thinking Haytham is a terrorist, Al Abdulmalik repeatedly strikes him on the head with a baton (the latter's ear and side of head are very bloody). We see what looks like bloody human flesh or a body part on the ground. We see a flashback to a guard shooting the two terrorists, as well as them shooting the two guards before that (with the same bloody results). We see dead bodies in the morgue and Janet removes bomb and other fragments from their skin. The bodies are bloody (and one has what looks like a charred area on the arm), as are the fragments and the bowl of rinse water. We see a photo of a dead and bloody terrorist. When Ronald uses the slang "That's my sh*t," Al Ghazi doesn't understand and asks if he needs the bathroom. A former bomb maker turned informant is missing several fingers (from an earlier, unseen accident). We later see another bomb maker with a similar condition. We see a car bomb being prepared, but a raid by the police includes machine guns being fired and a grenade thrown inside the building. We don't see the actual deaths, but do see the dead and bloody bodies. A person makes the sarcastic comment (not mean literally), "Your sh*t's not gonna stink." An injured terrorist is quite bloody and leaves a trail of blood on the street to where he's been taken. During and after a big gun battle with terrorists, the various FBI agents are bloody to varying degrees, especially Adam who's very bloody (and leaves a smear of blood on a wall as he's tries to hold onto that while dragged away). During a big gun battle, many people are shot, with varying bloody results (mostly at the moment of impact). The terrorists prepare to tape Adam's attempted execution again, but Janet shoots all but one of them dead (with varying degrees of bloody results). A boy shoots a Saudi man in the neck, mortally wounding him (we see lots of blood on his neck). When he won't drop the gun, agents shoot him dead, and then do the same to a terrorist when he pulls out his gun (also with bloody results for both, especially on their clothes). DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE The terrorists obviously all have bad attitudes for their actions. Some viewers may not like the way the Saudis are portrayed, either as terrorists or as officials who aren't proficient enough to solve the case (and thus need the help of the FBI team that comes in and shows them how to do things). Thinking Haytham is a terrorist, Al Abdulmalik repeatedly strikes him on the head with a baton (the latter's ear and side of head are very bloody). When Al Abdulmalik is then informed that Haytham is innocent, the general tells Haytham that he's to tell others he was injured during the initial attack (rather than Al Abdulmalik's beating). A terrorist father physically makes his young son watch the attack (shootings and bombings). Ronald and his cohorts break the rules by traveling to Saudi Arabia without permission. One of the guys jokes with Janet, "You're real butch after a long flight." While wearing an investigate glove, Adam jokes to one Saudi if he needs a check (a proctology joke). When that man smiles, presumably not understanding him, Adam then jokes, "You big queer." FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence," "Blood/Gore" and "Jump Scenes" may be unsettling or suspenseful to viewers (particularly younger ones and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material). Terrorists shoot two guards in their vehicle (with bloody results), dump the bodies, and then speed through the American compound, firing a machine gun everywhere, hitting and killing people (with bloody results) and causing a great deal of property damage and panic among those there as well as others at a softball game. A security vehicle then crashes into that stolen one, with a guard shooting the two terrorists dead (also with bloody results). Another terrorist then blows himself up, killing and wounding more people (with bloody results), followed later by a massive explosion that kills and wounds many more people (and causes a tremendous amount of property damage). We later hear 100+ died and 200+ were wounded. Thinking Haytham is a terrorist, Al Abdulmalik repeatedly strikes him on the head with a baton (the latter's ear and side of head are very bloody). The crew sees two coffins loaded on the plane, holding at least one of their comrades. In a convoy of vehicles, the Saudis become nervous about an approaching vehicle and prepare their weapons (while traveling at a high speed), but it turns out to be just a truck with a camel in the back. We see bombs being assembled with nails, marbles, and such. We see a car bomb being prepared, but a raid by the police includes machine guns being fired and a grenade thrown inside the building. We don't see the actual deaths, but do see the dead and bloody bodies. In a convoy, Ronald is suspicious of other vehicles and people he sees. One vehicle then hits another, with the resultant massive explosion causing all sorts of vehicles to crash (in various violent ways). The FBI agents' SUV ends up on its roof, with terrorists grabbing and yanking Adam from the vehicle, punching him in the process. Ronald gets off some shots that hit a terrorist in the leg, while Al Ghazi shoots one and Ronald shoots several more dead as gunfire is blasted back toward them as well. The FBI agents then chase after the terrorists (both groups in vehicles), fearful that if they lose them, Adam will be killed. Adam tries to fight off the terrorists that have abducted him (kicking, etc.), but they tape and punch him repeatedly. They then drag him into a building, with one kicking his hand as he tries to hold onto a doorjamb. A terrorist fires a missile at the agents who drive out of the path just in time (and miss the explosion). A grenade then lands on their hood, with Ronald kicking out the windshield to grab the grenade and throw it aside (a nearby vehicle explodes). A long gun battle then breaks out between the FBI agents (and Al Ghazi and Haytham) and the terrorists, with the former shooting many of the latter. At least two more missiles are fired at the agents, with close explosions. Another missile is prepped to fire, but a grenade lands in the room, and both explosives go off, resulting in a huge explosion (that kills many and causes property damage). Terrorists hurriedly try to do an execution video featuring Adam, and hold a machete to his neck, but he kicks the camera and lights aside, with the terrorists then striking him repeatedly. More people are shot, and a grenade is used to kill more, with Janet barely avoiding gunfire that rips through walls out into the hallway where she slowly proceeds, looking for other terrorists. The terrorists prepare to tape Adam's attempted execution again, but Janet shoots all but one of them dead (with varying degrees of bloody results), and ends up falling down into that room. A terrorist then grabs and throws her about, including several times into a wall, but she hits him back, bites him on the head, and shoots him in the leg. Adam (who's bound) tries to help, but is knocked around, but both he and Janet stab the villain repeatedly (including one blow that appears to get him in the clothed crotch), with her delivering the deathblow via a knife to the head. A boy shoots a Saudi man in the neck, mortally wounding him (we see lots of blood on his neck). When he won't drop the gun, agents shoot him dead, and then do the same to a terrorist when he pulls out his gun (also with bloody results for both, especially on their clothes). GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Grenades/Rockets or Missiles/Knives/Machete/Various bombs: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound, or kill others and/or cause property damage. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "Broad f*cking daylight," "Right the f*ck now," "Oh f*ck," "Are you f*cking kidding me?" "Leave me the f*ck alone," "F*cking bullsh*t," "Do not f*cking lose him," "Blowing sh*t up," "Your sh*t's not gonna stink," "No sh*t," "Need to dial down the boobies," "Are you ready to have your world rocked?" "Any chance in hell," "Balls out ugly," "A circle jerk," "This is really gonna suck," "Bitch" (dog), "You're real butch after a long flight," "Yes, the hell it is," "You big queer" (said playfully), "Sons of bitches" and "Lucky bastard." The action, fighting, and other stunts might be enticing for some kids to imitate, as might some of the jingoistic attitudes. We see bombs being assembled with nails, marbles, and such. JUMP SCENES Sudden shootings and/or bombings might startle some viewers. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) A heavy amount of suspenseful, ominous, and action-oriented music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) None. PROFANITY At least 24 "f" words (1 used with "mother"), 8 "s" words, 1 slang term for breasts ("boobies"), 3 hells, 2 S.O.B.s, 3 uses of "G-damn" and 1 use each of "Baby Jesus," "God" and "Jesus Christ." SEX/NUDITY We see a brief and partial view of a belly dancer in standard garb (a bikini style top). The sexual term "circle jerk" is used in a nonsexual meaning. About Janet arriving in Saudi Arabia wearing a standard-issue but tight t-shirt (that shows off her bust), Schmidt is concerned and says she needs to "dial down the boobies." Adam asks about the terrorists' bit about dying and then having virgins for them in heaven, with Janet incorrectly guessing how many (she says 70, but we don't hear the correct amount). While wearing an investigate glove, Adam jokes to one Saudi if he needs a check (a proctology joke). When that man smiles, presumably not understanding him, Adam then jokes, "You big queer." SMOKING Haytham and Al Ghazi each smoke at least once, some miscellaneous characters smoke in several scenes, and archival footage shows Saddam Hussein with a cigar. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Ronald visits the son of another agent who's recently been killed in the line of duty (the boy is aware his father is dead, but is too young to really know what that means). A terrorist father physically makes his young son watch the attack (shootings and bombings). A recent widower is upset about how and why his wife died in a bombing, and mentions his son trying to put his mom's mouth back on her with Band-Aids. Ronald visits the family of a Saudi officer who was shot dead (including the man's boy). TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Terrorists and their actions. A terrorist father physically makes his young son watch the attack (shootings and bombings). That the violence on the part of the terrorists is done in the name of religion. We hear that 15 of the 19 9/11 terrorists were from Saudi Arabia. Grace stating that in life, all things end, and that it's better to go out on one's feet than on one's knees. Ronald tells a bunch of kids about how his son was delivered via a C-section (he does so in an exaggerated fashion, gross but not gory sounding to them, and they laugh in shock). About Janet arriving in Saudi Arabia wearing a standard-issue but tight t-shirt (that shows off her bust), Schmidt is concerned and says she needs to "dial down the boobies." A family shows the team the "safe room" in their home. Why Janet is forbidden to touch the dead Muslim bodies. VIOLENCE In the opening montage history of Saudi Arabia, we see brief war footage (explosions, etc.) as well as a non-photo realistic animation of a plane headed for one of the World Trade Center towers (followed by a similarly drawn aerial view of Manhattan with a large plume of smoke rising from the site of that attack). Terrorists shoot two guards in their vehicle (with bloody results), dump the bodies, and then speed through the American compound, firing a machine gun everywhere, hitting and killing people (with bloody results) and causing a great deal of property damage and panic among those there as well as others at a softball game. A security vehicle then crashes into that stolen one, with a guard shooting the two terrorists dead (also with bloody results). Another terrorist then blows himself up, killing and wounding more people (with bloody results), followed later by a massive explosion that kills and wounds many more people (and causes a tremendous amount of property damage). We later hear 100+ died and 200+ were wounded. Thinking Haytham is a terrorist, Al Abdulmalik repeatedly strikes him on the head with a baton (the latter's ear and side of head are very bloody). We see a flashback to a guard shooting the two terrorists, as well as them shooting the two guards before that (with the same bloody results). A soldier suddenly punches Al Ghazi, prompting Ronald to intercede and punch that man many times. Another man with a massive machine gun then opens fire into the air, causing all of them to stop. We see and hear shooting violence in some video games. We see a car bomb being prepared, but a raid by the police includes machine guns being fired and a grenade thrown inside the building. We don't see the actual deaths, but do see the dead and bloody bodies. In a convoy, Ronald is suspicious of other vehicles and people he sees. One vehicle then hits another, with the resultant massive explosion causing all sorts of vehicles to crash (in various violent ways). The FBI agents' SUV ends up on its roof, with terrorists grabbing and yanking Adam from the vehicle, punching him in the process. Ronald gets off some shots that hit a terrorist in the leg, while Al Ghazi shoots one and Ronald shoots several more dead as gunfire is blasted back toward them as well. The FBI agents then chase after the terrorists (both groups in vehicles), fearful that if they lose them, Adam will be killed. Adam tries to fight off the terrorists that have abducted him (kicking, etc.), but they tape and punch him repeatedly. They then drag him into a building, with one kicking his hand as he tries to hold onto a doorjamb. A terrorist fires a missile at the agents who drive out of the path just in time (and miss the explosion). A grenade then lands on their hood, with Ronald kicking out the windshield to grab the grenade and throw it aside (a nearby vehicle explodes). A long gun battle then breaks out between the FBI agents (and Al Ghazi and Haytham) and the terrorists, with the former shooting many of the latter. At least two more missiles are fired at the agents, with close explosions. Another missile is prepped to fire, but a grenade lands in the room, and both explosives go off, resulting in a huge explosion (that kills many and causes property damage). Terrorists hurriedly try to do an execution video featuring Adam, and hold a machete to his neck, but he kicks the camera and lights aside, with the terrorists then striking him repeatedly. More people are shot, and a grenade is used to kill more, with Janet barely avoiding gunfire that rips through walls out into the hallway where she slowly proceeds, looking for other terrorists. The terrorists prepare to tape Adam's attempted execution again, but Janet shoots all but one of them dead (with varying degrees of bloody results), and ends up falling down into that room. A terrorist then grabs and throws her about, including several times into a wall, but she hits him back, bites him on the head, and shoots him in the leg. Adam (who's bound) tries to help, but is knocked around, but both he and Janet stab the villain repeatedly (including one blow that appears to get him in the clothed crotch), with her delivering the deathblow via a knife to the head. A boy shoots a Saudi man in the neck, mortally wounding him (we see lots of blood on his neck). When he won't drop the gun, agents shoot him dead, and then do the same to a terrorist when he pulls out his gun (also with bloody results for both, especially on their clothes). Reviewed September 25, 2007 / Posted September 28, 2007

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