Three Kings

George Clooney stars in a very contemporary war movie

An electrifying cocktail of war movie, black comedy and action thriller, Three Kings couldn't be anymore relevant in today's climate. Watching this movie after news footage of American soldiers in Iraq it seems that writer/director David O. Russell's movie was eerily prophetic.

Set during the aftermath of the Gulf War, a team of 4 soldiers set off to steal some gold which, after discovering a treasure map, appears to be stashed somewhere nearby. This eventually leads them into serious trouble and a race against time as they accidentally break the ceasefire.

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It would have been easy to make a typically jingoistic war movie about America's involvement in the Gulf War, but here director Russell deserves praise for taking an unflinching look at how America sometimes stumbles blindly into trouble waving its power and weapons to no avail.

The soldiers are generally perceived as stupid college boys who have yet to taste any real action. When they eventually do of course, it comes at heavy price.

Clooney is his usual commanding self but special mention must go to Mark Wahlberg whose character seems at first very unsympathetic but evolves into an emotional centrepiece to the story.

The action is brisk and visceral with some innovative camerawork. A standoff between the American soldiers and Iraqi troops is enlivened by a swinging camera evoking the whoosh and hiss of bullets as they spray about. One memorable scene involves Clooney explaining what happens when a bullet hits home - we follow the bullet inside Mark Wahlberg's guts and see his innards rip and bile flood out. It's this kind of exciting movie making that lifts Three Kings in an overcrowded genre.

It's very difficult to pull off a mixture of wacky comedy, vivid action sequences and genuine emotion but David O. Russell has achieved just that with Three Kings. A war movie more relevant today than at any time since its release, educational as well as exciting, it deserves your time.