A Decent Thriller: The Kingdom

The Kingdom (Advance Screening)
Directed by Peter Berg
To be released September 28, 2007

Peter Berg's new action-thriller is essentially "Syriana" spiced up with a good deal of humor and a fair amount of action towards the end. The four main characters all crack jokes most of the time and then kick ass the rest of the time. Several friends of mine hated this film for the exact same reasons I enjoyed it. Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, and Chris Cooper all do their jobs appropriately, but it is former "Arrested Development" star Jason Bateman who deserves special mention for his nervous but constantly sarcastic performance. Richard Jenkins and Jeremy Piven also appear in memorable cameos. There is nothing earth-shattering in the form of originality, but it is refreshing to see an action movie with brains that can keep the audience engaged for the whole time. This film is at times devastating in its images but at others a fast-paced thrill ride that the audience with whom I saw the film truly loved.

B+

Not Its Own Film: The Bourne Ultimatum

The Bourne Ultimatum
Directed by Paul Greengrass
Released August 3, 2007

Let me first stress that I am a big fan of the first two films. I readily enjoyed them for both their plot and action values. I went in with mediocre expectations for this one, my appetite for the non-stop action having been reduced after three years since the second film. The third "Bourne" begins very much in media res, taking no time for exposition and leaving viewers to put the pieces back together for themselves in regards to why Bourne was on the run in the first place. I for one could no longer recall other than to presume that some massive government conspiracy (don't see too many of those these days, huh?) was hunting the good-natured but desperate hero. No effort is taken to compel anyone not already into the series to climb aboard, though the action sequences are occasionally nifty. The most obnoxious thing is that the soundtrack from the second film is reused in its exact form, to the point where I predicted what was going to happen in one scene by remembering the pace and composition of the music (the score for the second film was excellent, so I am quite familiar with it). Moby's "Extreme Ways" even rounds out the credits, just as it did in the previous film, as if to underline the fact that this film is so dependent upon its predecessors for any legitimate development. And unfortunately we have here not one but three Oscar nominees (Joan Allen, David Strathairn, and Albert Finney) stuck in unimaginative roles which they do not play all that well. All-too-brief appearances by Scott Glenn and Paddy Considine cannot help the acceptable Damon spearhead a poorly devised film. The action does get pretty intense, but there is hardly anything to back it up.

C+


Trailer note: I was stoked for "The Kingdom" back when it was supposed to come out April 20th, and was dismayed to find out only four days before its supposed release that it had been pushed to September. I am more than ready for a pretty awesome-looking action epic with a stellar cast and a neat plotline.