Review: Three Kings

Directed by: David O. Russell

Written by: David O. Russell

Starring: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze, Nora Dunn, Jamie Kennedy

Rating: [3.5/5]

Terrible situations can make heroes of even the most questionable individuals where they have no other choice but to do the right thing. Something we have seen in stories of anti-heroes but in Three Kings we get this through the perspective of individuals in the U.S. Army Special Forces through a darkly comedic lens. Morally dubious and a ton of fun in the turn of events make it such an easily enjoyable feature. 

With the celebration of the end of the Gulf War, Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) and other Sergeants get word of some gold bullion available for the taking. Thus they embark on a journey to enrich themselves before going home when they realize they have found themselves in a far more precarious situation than they anticipated. 

We have received a whole host of war films dating back to the earliest silent films as they manage to take us right into the action of the story of these valiant individuals. These people love their country so much that they put their bodies and freedom on the line but even they can get bored when things get dry out on the battlefield. We typically don’t see this side of war films as they try to pass the time until they get notified the war has officially ended and they can go back home. A natural consequence but one that leads these men to find a way to enrich themselves and head home with some extra cash outside of their military pay. 

From the onset we get three individuals this feature focuses on mostly and learning of their motive to take this gold bullion does not represent the best of impression from these men. Taking the opportunity during a critical time as this war concludes to find a way to get themselves some riches shows a level of selfishness clashing with the general selflessness of their purpose being there. Quite the clash and the euphoria they receive when first seeing the gold gets completely flipped on its head as complications arrive, which ushers in the action. 

Thinking they could take the gold bullion like candy from a baby brings some shootouts when other individuals have an interest in the gold and do not appreciate these American soldiers taking it from them. Stepping in to help these dissidents where the gold happens to be stored makes them fight for good when they have begun to completely turn their back on the process. This allows them to shine in the ways their training has to complete a dangerous mission such as this one when the opportunity arrives, which it certainly does in the feature. Everything shifts on its head from enveloping us in this near-heist film and then turning into a rescue mission as they see the danger these individuals leave behind face with them living as dissidents. 

With this feature, we enlist the services of quite a collection of actors in one feature. The ever-charming George Clooney and then we have Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and of all people, Spike Jonze. What a group of actors to guide us through this feature and unsurprising Clooney heavily leads the way with his performance of this arrogant character that we can learn to love even when doing some rude things to other characters in the story. He serves as the foundation of the feature in the way he navigates it all but also manages to bring everyone else into the fold allowing Wahlberg to also give one of his better performances. It truly shows that 20th-century Wahlberg far exceeded anything he did at the turn of it, interestingly enough. 

Where this feature sits as an examination of terror prior to 9/11 makes this quite the movie to watch and discuss. We receive some weary motivations and individuals who operate with a mortality willing to shift when the tides turn making for something funny in moments and entertaining as a whole. Seeing this story through these characters ensures we get something at the very least intriguing and the more we learn about these individuals who now find themselves in a vastly different situation than they originally thought. Definitely carries its value among various features, it makes for something worth seeking out.