NMR: The Kingdom

Here was another late summer/early fall entry that got shipped onto DVD before I had a chance to check it out on the big screen. This was one of the many victims of the war film fatigue seen in '07, and sadly this one probably deserved better.

For 3/4ths of the film, this is a strong effort and a somewhat unique look at the complicated relationship between the United States and the Middle East. A terrorist attack takes place in Saudi Arabi and a group of FBI detectives have to deal with a lot of political and bureaucratic red tape while trying to investigate the crime. If it had stuck with that, I would have really enjoyed this film. There's a scene about half way through where the FBI officers (played by Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman) are forced to stay in a gymnasium instead of going out to the crime scene. I would have loved to see more from that and how these proud gov't officials cannot properly do their job.

However, the film kind of goes in the crapper near the end as the reigns are taken off the FBI and it turns into your standard action flick. I've got not problem with seeing good action with plenty of guns and explosions, but it just felt unnecessary here given how the film started out. The end of the film is a complete waste as it tries to provide this jingoistic feel-good moment, while also trying to establish the moral ambiguity of the actions we've just witnessed. The whole film ends up being a case of the director wanting to have his cake and eat it too.

There is likely to be something for everybody here. Some will like the film's political intrigue, while others appreciate the action. But it is unlikely that any viewer will be completely satisfied with the whole product. Since the part that appealed to me took up the majority of the film and because it has strong performances from the primary players, I'll be kind and give this a fairly generous rating. Netflix rating: ****