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The Kingdom (2007)

110 min · Action, Drama, Thriller, action film, drama film

Popularity5/5
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An FBI rapid deployment team must navigate complex political tensions and dangerous territory to track down terrorists responsible for a deadly bombing in Saudi Arabia.

The story

After Al-Qaeda terrorists detonate an explosive at an American oil company housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, killing both American and Saudi citizens, FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury is tasked with leading a rapid deployment team to find those responsible. Despite hurdles from the U.S. Justice and State Departments, Fleury blackmails the Saudi ambassador to gain access to the country. Upon arrival, the team must navigate the inexperience of local security forces and complex diplomatic dynamics to secure the crime scene and identify the perpetrators of the massacre.

Full plot (contains spoilers)

Al-Qaeda terrorists in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, detonate an explosive at an American oil company housing compound, killing both American and Saudi citizens. Before this, terrorists disguised as Saudi State Police had shot the inhabitants in the compound before they were stopped by Sergeant Haytham of the Saudi State Police; after this, another terrorist commits a suicide bombing. Francis Manner, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Legal Attaché in Saudi Arabia, alerts his colleague, Special Agent Ronald Fleury, to the attacks before being killed by a second bomb later that night. At FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Fleury briefs his rapid deployment team on the attack, believing it to have been orchestrated by local Saudi terrorist Abu Hamza. He recruits forensic examiner Janet Mayes, intelligence analyst Adam Leavitt, and bomb technician Grant Sykes to his team. Although the U.S. Justice Department and the U.S. State Department hinder FBI efforts to investigate, Fleury blackmails the Saudi ambassador into allowing his team into Riyadh. On arrival, the team is met by Colonel Faris al-Ghazi, the commander of the Saudi State Police Force providing security at the compound, and General Al Abdulmalik of the Saudi Arabian National Guard. The general's inexperience in criminal investigation hinders Fleury's team. The team is invited to the palace of Saudi Prince Ahmed bin Khaled, where Fleury convinces the Prince that Colonel al-Ghazi is a better fit to lead the investigation. With this change in leadership, the Americans are allowed direct access to the crime scene. This allows Fleury to sympathize with and befriend al-Ghazi. While searching for evidence, Sergeant Haytham and Sykes discover the second bomb was detonated in an ambulance and that the brother of one of the dead terrorists had access to ambulances and police uniforms. Al-Ghazi orders a raid by the Saudi Emergency Force on a terrorist stronghold, killing several of them. Afterward, Fleury's team discovers clues, including photos of the U.S. and other Western embassies in Riyadh. The U.S. Embassy Deputy Chief of Mission Damon Schmidt notifies Fleury and his team that they have been ordered to return to the United States. However, the team's convoy is attacked and Leavitt is kidnapped. Al-Ghazi commandeers a civilian vehicle, and the team chases the car holding Leavitt into the dangerous Al-Suwaidi neighborhood. As they pull up, a gunman fires rocket-propelled grenades at them and a fierce firefight starts. Leavitt is carried into a room inside a complex, where the terrorists prepare to film his execution before Mayes, separated from al-Ghazi and Fleury, saves him just in time. As al-Ghazi and the team start to leave, Fleury notices a trail of blood leading to the back of the apartment, where a family lives. After noticing several clues, al-Ghazi realizes the grandfather is Abu Hamza. Abu Hamza's teenage grandson walks out of the bedroom and shoots al-Ghazi in the neck, then points his gun at Mayes, prompting Fleury to kill him and Haytham to kill Abu Hamza. Al-Ghazi bleeds out in Fleury's arms, while Abu Hamza whispers something to his other grandchild. At Al-Ghazi's house, Fleury and Haytham meet and comfort his family. Fleury and his team return to the US, where they are commended by the FBI Director for their work. Leavitt asks Fleury what he whispered to Mayes, earlier in the film, to get her to stop crying over Manner. Simultaneously, both Fleury and Hamza's grandson responds "We are gonna kill 'em all."

First release year
2007
Runtime (minutes)
110
Production countries
United States
Original languages
English
Directors
Peter Berg
Writers
Matthew Michael Carnahan · writer
Cast and characters
Jamie Foxx; Chris Cooper; Jennifer Garner; Jason Bateman; Jeremy Piven; Danny Huston; Richard Jenkins
Genres
action thriller; political thriller; action drama; crime drama; crime thriller
Themes
Counter-terrorism; International relations; Cultural conflict
Tone and mood
Action-packed; Brutish; Slick
Premise and plot tags
FBI investigation; Terrorist attack; Hostage situation; Political blackmail
Source material / true-story basis
Based on the 1996 Khobar Towers housing complex bombing, the 2004 Khobar massacre, and the 2003 Riyadh compound bombings.
Reception
The film received mixed critical reviews and had a disappointing box office performance, though it was noted for its action scenes and sparked controversy in some Middle Eastern nations.
Reported review scores
Rotten Tomatoes · score: 51% · review count: 186; CinemaScore · score: B+ · scale: A+ to F
Production trivia
Director Peter Berg spent two weeks in Saudi Arabia researching the film.; The film was banned in Kuwait and Bahrain.; The scenes at the American compound were shot at the Polytechnic campus of Arizona State University.
Catalogue themes and tags

Anschlag, Bomb Attack, Bomb Explosion, Enquiry, FBI-Agentin, Falcon, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Gym, Islamic Terrorism, Manipulator, Polizeibeamter, Prinz, Riad, Rocket Launcher, Saudi-Arabia, Scrabble, Terrorismus, War against Terror, Washington D.C., Thriller, Action/Adventure, Action, Drama, War film

Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.

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