Rating: 
Summary: Gratifying
Review: Three Kings isn't an easy watch. The director and his cinematographer purposely mesh strange film lighting with strange colour filters. The film has got a sandy look which isn't pleasant. The lighting is too harsh for my liking. Why David Russel opted to film Three Kings like this, I don't know. But what I do know is that behind the annoying techinical problems lies a serious and important issue.I love Dr Strangelove. That movie is an all out laugh a second movie on the absurdity of war. Three Kings cannot be compared to it simply because it never attempts to compare. Three Kings doesn't make fun of the war as such. There is a lot of humour here but it comes more from the characters than the situation. In fact, there is nothing at all funny about the situation. The war is over. The Iraqis want the Americans out of their country. But they are still holding innocent prisoners. The performances are top class. George Clooney chooses his parts well and here, again proves his calibre. Mark Wahlberg is given the most intense scenes and doesn't disappoint. Ice Cube defies his ridiculous name to make good a difficult, unflashy part. Spike Jonze is used for comic effect and is also successful. Russel direction is outstanding. The Iraqis are not bad guys in his mind. His views are very objective and fair. His use of startling images like the unforgettable bullet-eye view are possibly unnecessary but this man knows how to tell a story. Three Kings is not always interesting. In fact, the movie does sag at times. And is also often too conventional. I didn't enjoy the reporter sub-plot. The lighting was also unkind. Three Kings is a good movie with a great cast and a promising director. A promising director however, who must have failed addition in school. There are 4 kings, are there not?
Rating: 
Summary: Edgy Filmaking
Review: great film. we finally get a movie on the Gulf War and the tradegy of the whole situation. we went in there to fight for what, oil? what kind of sick country are we? it's good that there are others out there who find that the reason for our involvment in the gulf war was silly, and that we didn't take out sadam husein when we should have, which caused more serious repercusions on those who opposed him. but enough on politics... this was a great movie. i liked the effort to show the importance of a human life, even if it is the enemy. the acting was also quite good.
Rating:
Summary: The best war movie since Apocalypse Now.
Review: War movies have, generally speaking, fallen into two distinct catagories up till now: 'war is bad!' movies and 'war is good!' movies. The latter was used as propaganda to raise moral during wartime. The former was only made critically fashioable in the 70s by the creator of the epitome of hellish war movies, Francis Coppola (Apocalypse Now). And continued in the 80s with Oliver Stone (Platoon, Born on the 4th of July) and Stanley Kubrick (Full Metal Jacket), who practically invented the war-comedy with 'Dr. Strangelove'. But rather than taking the specific stance that 'War is bad!' David O. Russell uses the most recent American war, as a backdrop for a treasure hunt-comedy-drama, while making some serious points, on the mistakes America made in entering the conflict, and the mistakes they made in leaving it. Though highly stylised, the violence is brutal and explicit, the consequences of which - mostly the pain and suffering of the mourning relatives of the dead - echoes throughout the film, and as such, is not glossed over by the action sequences, but is made more meaningful - as we watch more death and carnage overshadow previous deaths which are still in recent memory. The heroes are also not indestructible, like other action heroes: a minor theme of the film is the varying degrees of damage a bullet can do to the human body. George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg are a great double act, while Spike Jonze continues to show is talents in completely different areas. In using different film stocks and color filters, cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel has created a bleached out world of sand and dust, while preserving the deep, rich colors of the sky, and the characters' clothes etc. It's a unique visual experience on a par with 'Fight Club'. Eye candy, but of the cerebral variety. 1999 has produced one of the greatest group of films since the golden era of Hollywood, and 'Three Kings' is a crucial member. David O. Russell has created a whole new kind of war film. It's a comedy, a drama, a road movie, an action movie, a satire. It's got a light atmosphere and tone, but containbs some very serious themes, and some highly critical comments about the American involvement in the Gulf War.
Rating: 
Summary: Things Kings of Yuck
Review: I was so bored at this movie. I bought it to see what George Clooney was like. He cannot act. He's in unfamiliar territory in this movie, trying hard. I have friends at work that act better.
Rating:
Summary: DVD Perfection
Review: Three Kings is another addition to one of the must-buy DVD's on the market. The story about 4 men who set out to steal Kuwaiti boullion from Iraq is one of the best War-Comedy/Dramas ever. The DVD experience for this one is great. Picture is perfect, even with the visual distortion used by David O. Russell. Sound is where this one shines, if you have a Dolby 5.1 decoder, get ready for a war sound experience that rival Saving Private Ryan. This solo-disc is crammed with features: A Behind-the-Scenes Documentary, 2 audio commentaries, deleted scenes with commentary, director's video journal(interesting), Tour of the Iraqi Villiage Set(also very nice), Interview with Director of Photgraphy, Intimate Look Inside the Acting Process With Ice Cube(very short, just to squeeze everything out of the disc I guess), stills gallery, hidden bunkers(with some nice goodies), a trailer, and loads of DVD-ROM links and content. If you loved Three Kings, you'll love this DVD even more, go get it now!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Sorriest Movies I've Seen
Review: Can Hollywood ever get a war right? "Three Kings" has reduced my expectation that it possibly could. The opening scenes are about as ridiculous as I've ever seen--taking any sane person's suspension of disbelief into the realm of viewer apathy--why waste your time? It's not entertaining and there is no grounding in reality whatsoever. There is a GREAT series out by the BBC if you can ever find it, covering the lives of a British motorized infantry company in the Bosnian war. I watched two episodes and I was transfixed. Don't waste your time on this--try to find the BBC series if you're interested in substance and in learning what modern war is like in the process.
Rating:
Summary: A Cult Classic!
Review: This movie was not quite what I expected, and that made me enjoy it all the more. It's sort of a Kelly's Heroes for the 90's. Funny and very harsh, this movie neither sugar coats nor bludgeons. There were many surprising and witty moments. This is a film most people will enjoy; I especially liked the cavity cam. The 'what you did before the war' sequence was also excellent. Most of the characters are well drawn, and the problems are generally believable and the characters reactions realistic.
Rating: 
Summary: Action-packed, serious, and funny.
Review: I wasn't crazy about this flick the first time but after renting the DVD I warmed up to it enough to buy it. For a serious movie fan that likes all types this is one for your library. The directing alone is worthwhile, but the action and acting gives this predictable plot what it needs to be entertaining. Make sure you check out the extras and director's commentary if you see the DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Gold Rush--Desert Storm Style
Review: The war's over, the party's on and it's time to make money. In this seriously yet sometimes humorous romp set in the days after Operation Desert Storm, Wahlberg finds a map to Saddam Hussein's horde of stolen gold and joins with Clooney, Cube and Jonze to swipe--er, liberate--the loot for themselves. If the plot sounds suspiciously like a hyped-up version of Kelly's Heroes, you're right, with an added connection of intelligence. The film's breakneck pace and sly black humor at times enhances the film's chewy moral center about the heinousness of war. The film is an exciting ride with terrific performances, especially from Jonze, who's better known as a director of Beastie Boys videos. There are loads of booming pyrotechnics and little doubt about who the real villains of the tale are.
Rating:
Summary: George Clooney Hit's it AGAIN!
Review: This is definetley my favorite movie of all time! It's funny, cool, and at the same time an action-packed and edge-off-your-seat action thriller! George Clooney is the best out there! The best actor, and all of his movies show it! And not only is it well acted, it has a new twist to directing, and it definetley desirves five stars for it excellence and entertainment!
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