Three Kings (1999)
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Four American soldiers embark on a high-stakes gold heist during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq.
The story
Following the end of the Gulf War, U.S. soldiers remaining in theatre are bored from the lack of action and throw parties at night. Major Archie Gates, a U.S. Army Special Forces soldier, is trading sex for stories with a journalist, Cathy Daitch, when he is interrupted by Adriana Cruz, the television reporter he is assigned to escort. While disarming and searching an Iraqi officer, U.S. Army Reserve Sergeant First Class Troy Barlow, his best friend Private First Class Conrad Vig, and their unit find a map in the officer's anus. Major Gates identifies it as a map of bunkers near Karbala containing gold bullion stolen from Kuwait. They decide to steal it.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Following the end of the Gulf War, U.S. soldiers remaining in theatre are bored and throw parties. Major Archie Gates, a Special Forces soldier, is escorting a reporter, Adriana Cruz. While searching an Iraqi officer, Sergeant Troy Barlow, Private Conrad Vig, and their unit find a map to gold bullion stolen from Kuwait. They decide to steal it, distracting Adriana by sending another soldier to a false tip. They find the gold but stumble upon the interrogation of Amir Abdullah. After a firefight with the Iraqi Republican Guard, they are separated by a minefield; Troy is captured while the others are rescued by rebels. The Americans and rebels team up to free Troy by posing as Saddam's entourage in looted luxury cars. During the rescue, Conrad is killed and Troy is wounded. They eventually escort the rebels to the Iranian border. American officers intervene and arrest the trio, but Archie offers the buried gold in exchange for the refugees' passage. The refugees reach Iran, and the soldiers are later cleared of charges due to Adriana's reporting. The stolen gold is returned to Kuwait.
- First release year
- 1999
- Runtime (minutes)
- 115
- Production countries
- United States; Australia
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- David O. Russell
- Writers
- David O. Russell · screenplay; John Ridley · story
- Cast and characters
- George Clooney · Major Archie Gates; Mark Wahlberg · Sergeant First Class Troy Barlow; Ice Cube · Staff Sergeant Chief Elgin; Spike Jonze · Private First Class Conrad Vig; Nora Dunn · Adriana Cruz; Jamie Kennedy · Specialist Walter Wogeman; Mykelti Williamson · Colonel Ron Horn; Cliff Curtis · Amir Abdullah
- Genres
- black comedy; war; comedy-drama; action
- Themes
- Anti-war; Heist; Moral ambiguity
- Tone and mood
- Black comedy; Satirical; Journalistic
- Premise and plot tags
- War; Heist; Comedy; Drama; Satire
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, blending action, drama, and comedy into a thoughtful and exciting movie. It was noted for its caustic anti-war stance and unique visual style.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 94% · review count: 128; Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 34; CinemaScore · score: B · scale: A to F
- Production trivia
- The film was shot on Ektachrome transparency stock cross-processed in colour negative chemicals to mimic newspaper images.; All of the explosions in the movie were filmed in one shot.; The director's commentary reveals that President Bill Clinton liked the film so much he had it screened for his staff and friends at the White House.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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