|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources
Of course, whether this movie about 4 GI's who go the soldier of fortune route is altruistically pacifist or really a combat flick with its morality tacked on for appearance's sake is a matter between Mr. Russell and his conscience. Still, Three Kings does serve as an effectively wearying reminder of humankind's unalterable process: enmity, followed by war, followed by peace, followed by a gaggle of anti-war literature and/or movies. Gosh, you know, we almost skipped the fourth step this go-round. Thought we didn't need it. Practically convinced ourselves that a supposedly moral war needs no time for reflection.
It is Mr. Russell's thesis that Desert Storm was awash in shameless euphemisms, replete with so-called surgical bombing and the disingenuous sanitising that comes with military husbanding of the media -- that the American mass consciousness didn't immediately demand an artistic epitaph to the war. If nothing else, Three Kings addresses that dearth.
But none of this concerns intrepid Archie (George Clooney), Troy (Mark Wahlberg), Chief (Ice Cube) and Conrad (Spike Jonze) as they embark on their gold digging adventure in Iraq; at least not at the outset. Having captured several Iraqi soldiers just prior to the declared cease fire, the latter three enlisted men find a map in the most unlikely place (use your imagination). It purportedly leads to the millions of dollars in gold bullion Saddam Hussein has confiscated from the Kuwaitis. Hearing rumours of the cache, George Clooney's wily Captain Archie Gates inveigles his way to a principal role in the ensuing treasure hunt.
The characterisations are right off the war movie stereotype shelf, featuring a portrayal to identify with for practically every age or walk of life. A fortyish Vietnam veteran just about to retire, lifer Archie exemplifies the traditional soul of the American GI: entrepreneurial but noble, flip yet philosophical. Then there's Mark Wahlberg as Generation X's contribution to American military history; a salt-of-the-Earth new dad who hails from Detroit, Troy Barlow's dreams of Eldorado are spurred by considerations for his suddenly expanded family. His African-American counterpart is the bravely religious Chief Elgin, a picture of staid solidity played by rapper Ice Cube. And rounding out the four horsemen of this film's apocalypse is Spike Jonze as Conrad Vig, the resident hillbilly; a Sergeant York but with absolutely none of the class.
The title, suggesting only 3 kings to share the wealth, takes literary license. It alludes to a biblical passage Conrad giddily invokes to rationalise re-pilfering Saddam's ill-gotten gains. But it's really no dramatic surprise that these desert foxes can be counted on to at least consider doing the right thing when they experience a sudden fit of conscience.
It seems President Bush created a tragic dilemma; though he called on the Iraqis to rise up against their dictator, no official policy was put into place to support and protect those who took his advice. Hence, moral considerations cloud the soldiers' mercenary mission when they interact with a rebel leader and his flock.
Particularly good as the local talent, mimicking the idioms ("Hey, my main man") they have learned from their invaders, are Cliff Curtis as Amir Abdulah and Said Taghmaoui as Captain Said. And Nora Dunn is effectively preposterous as the careering CNN reporter (nominated 6 times for an Emmy without a win) working in collusion, whether she knows it or not, with the military muckamucks. The big question is, how much will Archie and company compromise their quest for fortune?
Much derring-do and gunfire populate the scenario, underscoring that the rumble in Arabia was no bloodless conflict. The harsh lessons are mixed with a wry humour as the swaggering GI's strut their initial bravado; hail the conquering hero and all that. But laughing in exasperation at the callous ambiguity of war requires the moral certitude of a M*A*S*H* or the abstract intellectualism of a Catch- 22; here it just seems tastelessly incongruous. And as if to reflect the story's unsettling demeanour, Three Kings is also audio-visually disconcerting. A grainy, sun-bathed film texture self-consciously tries to endow the movie with a cinema verite, quasi-documentary look, while the cacophonous on-location sound is presumably employed to feign a sense of immediacy.
Uncomfortably searching for a technique of its own, Mr. Russell's would-be avant-garde war movie is a genre amalgam that never does find its niche, too often relying on its sometimes surreal messenger to be the message. And though there are matters of real substance in the director's work, the phlegmatic style just doesn't show them to best advantage. Hence, whatever the motivation that goes into dealing audiences Three Kings, a fully entertaining night at the Bijou just isn't in the cards.
|
Alphabetic Index
|
Ratings Index
|
Web Resources