'The Kingdom'

"The Kingdom" (Universal) is certainly a riveting film. It is stylish, fast-paced and all too relevant; few viewers will fail to be absorbed by it.

Yet the ultimate message of this movie is ambiguous at best. True, its resolution contains a strong statement about the futility of violence, but this statement comes after a climactic scene in which the visceral appeal of violent revenge could not be presented more blatantly. The film tells the politically unlikely story of a team of four FBI agents - Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx), Grant Sykes (Chris Cooper), Janet Mayes (Jennifer Garner) and Adam Leavitt (Jason Bateman) - who are dispatched to Saudi Arabia (the kingdom of the title) to investigate a major terrorist attack on Americans living there. They must pursue their hunt under the watchful and initially suspicious eye of a Saudi colonel, Faris Al Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom). The agents immediately find themselves lost in a maze of conflicting loyalties, unable to discern friend from foe. Al Ghazi, however, gradually proves himself both a steadfast ally and a genuine friend, especially to Agent Fleury. As the two men bond, recognizing their shared humanity, the delicate and dangerous work of hunting down the terrorists continues. "The Kingdom" does have its moral strong points, particularly the relationship between Fleury and Al Ghazi and the final message mentioned above. But along with these strengths comes an easy justification, if not indeed a glorification, of force that seriously undermines them. It is one thing, after all, to recognize that violent means may sometimes be necessary in the struggle against crime, terrorism or unjust aggression. It is something else to revel in the results. At times, however, it seems that scriptwriter Matthew Michael Carnahan and director Peter Berg want to have it both ways. They want the audience to spend the better part of two hours cheering as the bad guys bite the dust. But then they want to inform viewers, somewhat belatedly, why they shouldn't have been cheering in the first place. If the moral consistency in "The Kingdom" were as impressive as its acting and its special effects, it would have been a great film. As it is, the movie works on a number of different levels and entertains - even if it fails, ultimately, to enlighten. The film contains sudden, bloody violence with gore, torture and much rough, crude and profane language. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L - limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R - restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. - - - Mulderig is on the staff of the Office for Film & Broadcasting of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

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Copyright (c) 2007 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops