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534 comments in total

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70 out of 87 people found the following comment useful :-
overlooked gem shows what a modern war really is, 29 March 2000

Author: Rick-34 (rick_desper@yahoo.com) from United States

It's hard to really adequately describe this movie. Let me try.

For starters, in spite of the advertisements, it's not merely a remake of "Kelly's Heroes". Yes, we are in a postwar situation, where a bunch of Americans are trying to "recover" gold stolen by the enemy, but that's the end of the similarities.

"Three Kings" does an excellent job of showing just how gonzo modern warfare has become. You've got unemployed reservists going to the Middle East for kicks fighting Saddam, who uses gas attacks, electric shock torture and other atrocities to fight the rebels. Thrown in the mix are a U.S.-educated Iraqi whose businesses were destroyed by the Americans, a bunch of rebels and refugees living in bunkers, a CNN-type correspondent facing the threat of younger reporters, and Mark Wahlberg's character finding a cell phone in the Iraqi bunker and using it to call his wife in the U.S.

The movie is extremely funny at times, graphically violent at times, but always on target. It provides a lot of insight into how non-Americans view the U.S. I cannot think of another major movie which showed people in a third-world country as modern people without patronizing. Even the soldiers shooting at our heros, gassing the refugees, and torturing Mark Wahlberg's character are shown as human beings.

Somehow this movie got lost last year amongst all the hype for "American Beauty". "Three Kings" looks to have much more staying power. George Clooney continues to shine in yet another under-appreciated performance. For somebody with a Hollywood legacy, he really seems to have pushed some of the wrong buttons in Hollywood. I cannot think of any other explanation for why he has yet to achieve the acclaim his performances deserve.

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47 out of 56 people found the following comment useful :-
Russell steps up to the big leagues, 5 October 1999

Author: Sean Gallagher (naes@cgocable.net) from Oakville, Ont. Canada

In 1994 and then 1996, David O. Russell proved himself to be one of the few original voices in American comedy with his films SPANKING THE MONKEY and FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, respectively. He could have continued in that vein, but instead he seemed to be going mainstream with a studio film, starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube, which seemed to be an action/adventure set in the Gulf War, at least if you only saw the trailer(which left me going "Huh?"). After seeing the film, it's clear to me that Russell is now one of the major talents to emerge from the 90's, as this is a masterpiece.

As I mentioned before, the trailer was confusing, but while the movie is clear, Russell(who re-wrote a script by John Ridley, though there's a lot of contention over who exactly did what) makes clear from the beginning his intention to throw curves at us whenever he can, starting with Wahlberg asking as he draws his sights on an Iraqi soldier, "Are we still shooting at people?" He shoots the soldier anyway, and is immediately remorseful when he sees the soldier was holding a white flag. The movie goes from there to soldiers who, although in a celebratory mood, are still somewhat puzzled as to why they're there, a reporter(played well by the underused Nora Dunn) who can't help but talk in cliches, a tanker which, when shot, turns out to be holding milk, and Iraqi refugees who thought Americans were going to liberate them from Saddam Hussein and now are suffering because of it. It's this attitude which makes the otherwise normal-sounding plot - Clooney, Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze play soldiers turned thieves who end up with a conscience - play as anything but normal-sounding.

Another thing which helps is the photography(I forget the guy's name, but he also did THE USUAL SUSPECTS). Far from the clear-looking photography we got in the telecasts, this is rough, dangerous, and, just like the plot, constantly putting us off our guard.

Finally, the performances. Clooney I think has long been underappreciated not, as most people assume, because he's a sex symbol, but because he, like Harrison Ford and others of his type, make it look easy. There's nothing easy about his character here, and Clooney doesn't take the easy way out here. He doesn't coast on his charm and try to make the character likeable, but goes through the journey his character does, and even without a lot of dialogue(at the end, his face when he signals to Wahlberg and Ice Cube says all we need to know, as does their nods back). Wahlberg is fast becoming one of our better actors, and this proves it. He even finds comic potential where you wouldn't expect any. Ice Cube has had a mixed career since BOYZ IN THE HOOD, but this ranks up with that performance. Finally, Jonze has been criticized for playing a hillbilly stereotype, but the key is how he's more like a lapdog hungry for affection rather than just plain white trash, and he plays it as such. This is the best film I've seen so far this year.

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51 out of 65 people found the following comment useful :-
Funny, shocking, thought provoking and honest., 25 March 2000

Author: Gemma Dearing from Southampton, England

A film for anyone who ever relishes the triumphal note of western war films, who gets carried away by the moral high of being on the winning side. For those who saw the good in the Gulf War, saw how many people America helped and was proud to live in the Western world.

Three Kings is an anti-war film. Its opening scenes are not the declaration of war, but soldiers celebrating its end. Then coming to grips with its consequences.

Of course, Saddam Hussein is depicted in the customary role of the villain, but then so is George Bush whose abandonment of the Iraqi people he had called to rise against Saddam is illustrated with examples of human suffering - emotional as well as physical.

Don't get the idea that this is a bleak and 'worthy' film, in many ways it is, but it does it with such style and black humour - that forces you to laugh even while being disgusted or perturbed - that it is eminently watchable. But still edgy, I was pleased to see one couple walk out (though they might just have gone to the toilet, who knows, I was absorbed by the film and didn't pay enough attention).

Director, David O Russell, ensures that the film never gets carried away with action scenes - bullets have consequences (good and bad) even when fired by an all-American soldier. There is some stunning cinematography. Particularly shocking to me was when Iraqi soldiers fire at a tanker. Nothing's more shocking than the unexpected and dramatically understated (I didn't see the trailer, though I believe that scene was actually in it).

There are some interesting cinematic devices in the film. The next time that sepsis comes into conversation I'm sure anyone who has seen the film will call to mind scenes of a bullet travelling through the body. I've seen less violent films than some people, but have been swept away by their power many times - become blasé about bullets and cinematic death. I've seen it all too often before to care about nameless victims that stand in the way of the power, wit, and understanding of the hard-bitten, long-serving soldier, wielding a justice in the shape of a gun.

Russell claimed to make every bullet count in the film, and in one memorably calm scene of confusion and crossfire, he certainly does. The style of the film however doesn't detract from its content. Three Kings doesn't have pretensions of addressing difficult issues by showing the manly, serious face of George Clooney looking a little concerned after killing a few dozen of the enemy. It has intelligent dialogue and moving scenes of confrontation between the opposing ideologies of the Americans and their 'allies' and 'enemies' alike.

Not the best date movie in the world. Funny, shocking, thought provoking and honest, 8.5/10.

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55 out of 75 people found the following comment useful :-
One of the freshest and most subversive Hollywood movies in years! A modern classic., 19 November 2002
Author: Infofreak from Perth, Australia

I spend most of my time bitching at just how mindless and cliched most movies released by Hollywood are, so it's always a pleasant surprise when a 'Pulp Fiction' or a 'Boogie Nights' or an 'American Beauty' gets released and makes me eat my words. 'Three Kings' deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as those very fine movies, but what a left field surprise this one was! As much as I enjoyed David O. Russell's previous movies 'Spanking The Monkey' and 'Flirting With Disaster', I never would have expected him to be capable of making a movie as fresh and original as this! Easily overlooked, it very cleverly manages to work simultaneously as an action/adventure, and a comedy, and a wonderfully subversive lesson in recent political history. Who would have thought? The other surprise is just how fine the motley cast is. TV heart throb Clooney, rappers turned actors Wahlberg and Ice Cube, and video director Jonze. All are much better than anyone would have the right to expect, and are supported by some strong performances from the likes of Cliff Curtis ('Once Were Warriors'), Nora Dunn ('The Last Supper'), Jamie Kennedy ('Scream') and especially Said Taghmaoui ('La Haine'), the latter in a role that should have made him an international star. 'Three Kings' is in my opinion a modern classic and one of the very best movies of the last ten years. I can't recommend this one highly enough!

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35 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
A beautiful war movie, if that's possible, 29 May 2001

Author: Boyo-2

I have to admit first I was born without the gene that understands why countries go to war. I don't understand who is fighting, why they are, the whole concept is a mystery to me. On a moral level its extremely offensive and completely unpleasant for all involved. So by extension its hard to watch a war movie because I go in already confused.

But I know a good movie when I see one, and this is a very good movie in many ways. This movie has a heart, some fantastic acting and something worthwhile to say. It was not hard to watch or understand, especially since, like I said, I don't always get it. But I will be watching this one again. At times it felt like a documentary. All the acting is so natural, no one makes a false move and you can't say that about most movies.

And I also didn't know Infiniti made a convertible!

8/10

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35 out of 49 people found the following comment useful :-
one of the Best of 1999, 24 March 2000
Author: P.T. McConville from West Des Moines, Iowa

With the exception of 'Magnolia'and 'The Green Mile', I don't believe that there was a movie as great as 'Three Kings' last year. It was a brilliant look at the Gulf War and stretched beyond the boundaries of all war movies before it. David O. Russell did an excellent job writing and directing this movie and George Clooney gave one of the best performances of the year. Mark Wahlberg proved that his work can go beyond that of Dirk Diggler. Spike Jonze was hilarious as Wahlberg's lacky. Watching the movie is a memorable experience. It's way out there with it's comedic sense of timing, awesome action sequences, and morals to match. It dealt with the political issues of the Gulf War which was seen as a pretty harmless war from an American's standpoint. Russell showed us the plight of the freedom fighters in Iraq and told a very serious story, but did it with a sense of humor that was neither tasteless nor melodramatic. Russell kept an even tone throughout the entire movie and perfectly blended the action,black comedy,and war genres into what was one of the year's best. An entertaining movie that never ceases to amaze me. I still am trying to figure out why it didn't get nominated for any Oscars. I hope that one day people will see this move for what it is...a masterpiece.

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29 out of 40 people found the following comment useful :-
we three kings be stealin the gold, 24 August 2005

Author: composer_mike from Edoass

Shouldn't it be four kings?

-During the first Iraq war four men discover a map in a man's bum that holds the secret location to Saddam Hussein's hidden gold and decide to steal it and make themselves filthy rich. During their journey they encounter everything from horrific tortures to a full explanation of how the human body works when a bullet hits it -The movie is based on a story by John Ridley and it was written for the screen and directed by David Russell. The script here is brilliant and shows Russell's brilliance at every turn. The lines the characters say are sharp, very real and at times laugh out loud hilarious. Even though it's a war movie he still manages to slip in some comedy and it works really well. the characters here are well developed and you just fall in love with all of them which was a pretty massive undertaking considering that they are about six main characters in the movie and somehow Russell didn't get lost in the shuffle or the pool of the cliché and just made each one different and original. The gritty and harsh DP work by Newton Thomas Sigel is also a treat in this movie. It's not as impressive as Kaminski's work in "Private Ryan" but still wonderful. It has this dry thirsty desert feel to it and makes you feel like the sun is in your eyes when you watch it. The sound design is also well done. The action scenes whiles brief does provide a nice surround experience. The bomb rumbles the woofers with intense ferocity and the bullets whiz by the surrounds quite nicely. The score is barely memorable but gets the job done and the production design is nicely done.

-This movie takes place during the first war in Iraq when the first Bush was president. The country wasn't sure what we were doing there and the news media was all over Iraq. Fast forward to now and things are still the same. We still have a war in Iraq, the country is not sure what the bloody hell we're still doing there and the slanted and heavily biased media is covering the hell out of it. Like father like son I guess. The movie is not necessarily about war though. it doesn't promote war nor does it try to make a case against it. The movie is about four men trying to get rich during the war and the problems they encounter whiles trying to find it. I'm an African and I've been hit with negative stereotyping so much that I've grown jaded to it. It's really annoying when someone looks down on you simply because of where you're from and tries to make you inferior which brings me to my point. This movie deals with stereotyping and gladly shows how ignorant and stupid it is. The characters in this movie thought all Arabs were as they saw them on TV but once they got to know them they found that they're much more and that leads to a very funny scene which just cracks me up every time i see it.

-George Clooney leads the underrated team of actors that make up this fine movie. he plays Major Archie Gates whose the most jaded of all the rest in the movie. he's a very smart man that knows what he's doing and seems to have a handle on what is going on. he doesn't want to be in Iraq so whatever enjoyment he can get whiles he's there he takes full advantage of, and that includes a horny reporter who wants a scoop and gets more than that to deciding to steal Saddam Hussein's gold. Clooney not only gives a fantastic acting job in this but also the best work of his career. Marky Mark plays Troy Barlow who is a young man in the war and has a wife with a newborn baby at home. When we meet him he is happy because he believes he is about to go home and eventually decides to help steal the gold because he wants enough money to provide for his newborn son. There is wonderful scene in which his character is tortured and rumor has it that the shock that was sent through his body was real and not acting. Marky Mark was so dedicated to the role that he offered his body to be tortured for this movie and that really is every filmmakers dream to have an actor that gives it their all in a movie. Rapper Ice Cube plays the religious Sgt. Chief Elgin who is basically the conscious of the group. He's like their father and lets them know when they're doing something silly and when they're doing something right and when they're doing something wrong. Ice Cube does a great job of not making you say that he's just some rapper in a movie but rather makes you say that this a fine actor giving a fine performance in a fine movie. Spike Jonze rounds up the four kings as the hyperactive kid that desperately wants to be Troy

-This is a great movie about war times and what men do during war. It's entertaining and fun hits all the right notes without any distortion.

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28 out of 41 people found the following comment useful :-
Fine movie set in the aftermath of the 1991 "Gulf War"., 15 April 2000
Author: TxMike from Houston, Tx, USA, Earth

I remember the 1991 Gulf War well, and in fact visited the area in late 1991. After looking at the "extras" on the DVD version of Three Kings, you realize how accurate the movie is, having used USA veterans as consultants, and some of the extras were actually Guld War refugees. I rate it "8" of "10".

The movie is action-packed and well-acted. The only thing that threw me off a bit was the sometimes strange mixture of humor and tragedy - people graphically getting killed in one scene, and characters being in humorous situations the next. Still, it is an entertaining movie overall, and gives a great glimpse of what the Gulf War was all about.

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23 out of 35 people found the following comment useful :-
I Was Surprised, 21 May 2005

Author: namdc from Palm Springs CA

I avoided this film for some time because I have a strong dislike of war films, particularly relatively recent wars. Too bad for me. I finally rented it because of the impressive works I've seen by Mr. Russell. This is not a war film, even though it takes place during a war, and in a war zone. This is a film of humanity. Like many other films that I find excellent, this film deals with the human condition on many levels. There's pathos, humor, love, violence, ad infinitum. You'd get a sterilized version of what this film shows on the evening news. It shows that our soldiers, just as ourselves, are human, with all our frailities. And, I believe, it gives an honest account of what life is like for the people of the Middle East.

Fine acting by truly fine actors, great cinematography, and a very intelligent script make this a must see film.

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Not really a masterpiece, but very original and fun to watch, 22 March 2005

Author: Philip Van der Veken from Tessenderlo, Belgium

If there is one thing you can't accuse the makers of this movie of, than it must be that they weren't original. I don't think I've ever seen a 'war movie' that is sometimes shocking, but also funny, one that criticizes the politicians for what they did during the war, but also offers a big adventure at the same time...

The story goes like this: A few days after the first Gulf War has ended, a group of American soldiers come across a secret Iraqi map. This map reveals where the bunker can be found in which the Iraqi's have stored the gold and the treasure that they had stolen from Kuwait. But they aren't thinking of giving it back to the Kuwaiti's. They want to keep it for themselves and get as rich as kings and so they go on a trip full of adventure. Even though they are very egoistic at first, they aren't blind for what is happening around them. They soon learn that the Iraqi's have been encouraged by the U.S. government to rebel against the regime and fight Sadam Hussein. But the U.S. military refuses to help them with their uprising, which means that the rebels are facing certain death. What should they do? Take the money and run, not caring about the fate of the civilians or helping them across the border into Iran and risking to loose all their wealth...

Calling this a war movie isn't exactly right. It's true that its story is told during the first Gulf war, but the war isn't the most important thing in this movie. Personally I think you better call this an adventure movie, because that's what it really is. They go on an adventure to find a lot of gold.

The acting and the story in this movie are really good and more than just worth a watch. It's an original movie that blends drama, comedy, politics and war together into a fine mixture, but I wouldn't call it a masterpiece. Nevertheless this is a good movie that is certainly worth a watch. I give it a 7.5/10

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