The Kingdom - B+

In theaters September 28. Rated R, 110 minutes.

"Does Allah love your kids more than mine?"

This line, delivered by a grieving father (Tim McGraw, in a cameo), sums up the underlying premise of The Kingdom. Directed by Peter Berg (Friday Night Lights), this film follows an FBI team that is sent to Saudi Arabia to investigate a massive bombing and killing inside an American compound. Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper, and Jason Bateman star, with support from Jeremy Piven.

Berg lays the foundation for the film stylishly and effectively during the opening credits, and opens with an American softball game in Saudi Arabia. The bomb detonates and he cuts to the US and Jamie Foxx leading the charge to get his team sent to Saudi Arabia to examine who is responsible for the bomb (which also killed his best friend). Interesting scenes follow with lots of bureacratic doubletalk about whether anyone from the US should go; presumably if a US team goes, it will offend the terrorists and could lead to more violence (ed. comment: vote Democrat in '08 if you think that is the right way to fight terrorism). Ultimately Foxx uses his media connections to hold possible indictments over the head of a Saudi official, and his team is allowed to go. While there, Foxx befriends the Saudi in charge of shepherding them around and the team ultimately achieves its objective.

The film reaches for an A, but doesn't get there. It is basically a smart jingoistic action film, which I happen to enjoy, and it does raise some thoughtful points on religion, bureaucracy, and the perpetuation of hate on both sides of the conflict. The characters are underdeveloped and too one dimensional for this to be a serious film, and the answers are too easy. Foxx and his Saudi counterpart do share some good (but cliched) scenes. The action sequences are first rate, and the audience even burst into applause after the 10 minute climactic scene.

Foxx is good in his role as team leader, a toned down version of his Jarhead drill sergeant (he does manage to work in a Terrell, Texas (his hometown) reference in). Bateman plays the generic slacker funny guy with the alternat-shirts character that must have been offered first to Owen Wilson. Cooper is wasted in a small role as a ballistics expert, and Garner is actually good (I am not a fan, sorry priest) in a role as basically a subdued Sidney Bristow.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMei5nctinc

What strikes me about films like this and United 93 is that the filmmakers go out of their way not to paint muslims with a broad brush, but it can't be avoided. In his press for the film, Berg has said he tried hard not to make this a Toby Keith "Boot in your a##" movie. Problem is, seeing muslims mowing down innocent Americans (which is a fact) just for being Americans does nothing but reinforce prejudices Americans hold toward the muslim faith. Some things are what they are. No part of Christendom condones or carries out mass murder in the name of God, but a decent percentage of the muslim population condones it and/or carries it out in the name of their god, allah.

Viewing note: Had the pleasure of having a 4 year old with his mom, dad, and 14 year old brother at the movie with us tonight, which let us hear his crying (scared at the extreme violence) and snoring (after he cried himself to sleep), as well as his sucking on a bottle (yeah, he was 4). Makes me sick to have a kid that young in a movie like that. Also, in the men's restroom after the movie, I walk in to see a guy hairier than teenwolf at the urinal with his hand up resting on the wall while he peed. Awesome.