Customer Reviews

Three Kings (Collector's Edition) [VHS]

5 star:		(184)
4 star:		(98)
3 star:		(37)
2 star:		(36)
1 star:		(39)

 

 

THREE KINGS is not for everyone. And it's not easily pigeonholed. Fans of categorization will hate it. :)

"What's it like?" they ask. You can't say it's a comedy, because plenty of people won't find it funny. Can you say it's a heist film? Only if you're narrow-minded. An action movie? Yeah, maybe, but this isn't comic book action here.

Soldiers at the tail end of the Gulf War get a lead on a hidden stash of gold and decide to find it and take it home. What happens to them along the way changes their objectives and changes their lives in profound ways. Director David O Russell has crafted a movie that SEEMS to be aimless, changing directions with the wind, but is actually a movie with a certain destination, taking a more realistic approach to arrive there. A good example of this narrative philosophy is pointed out by Russell in his excellent and illuminating commentary track: in one scene Clooney is rushing pell-mell through an underground bunker and collides with another man rushing to get out. There's no "point" to it other than that these distracting things happen in real life all the time, just not usually in the movies.

The DVD's price is good and it's PACKED with so many extras (all of them interesting and worthwhile, too) that it's hard to pass up THREE KINGS for purchasing. Very much recommended.

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I was expecting a fun in the sun with guns and gold kind of movie. Boy was I surprised! This ranks up with movies like Saving Private Ryan and The Thin Red Line as a really intelligent "war like it really is" story.

It starts off fairly simply. At the end of Desert Storm a group of soldiers find a map showing where stolen Kuwaiti gold was being kept so they go get it. What was extraordinary was the way that the Iraqi soldiers actually helped them but would not let them help any of the locals. Orders from Saddam they said.

However, seeing the injustice being meted out by the Iraqi soldiers our four heroes (Clooney, Wahlberg, Cube and Jonze) decide to intervene. Things do not go well as Wahlberg is captured and tortured and all their vehicles are destroyed.

The torture scene is poignant. Wahlberg and his torturer have much in common: they are fathers, they joined the army to give their families a better standard of living, except that the torturer's one year old son was killed in a US bombing raid and his wife lost her legs. When later on Wahlberg is rescued and he has a chance to kill his torturer, his decision adds all the more depth to the story.

Although Saddam is villified in this movie, the story seems to take no sides. This is not about heroes and glory but about the struggle that everyone has with their own oppression - whether it is a tyrant, a poor job or dumb bosses. There are some very touching moments and some great humour. All the actors are very convincing (including all the Iraqi extras) and portay the ambiguity of people caught up in something out of their control.

This is a very good movie and will keep you thinking. The anatomical "shots" are an interesting feature but are insignificant against the storyline. A good movie to add to your collection and talk about with your friends. Loads of extras on the DVD too!

I'll admit the first time I saw this movie in the cinema; I didn't like it that much. Then again, I wasn't sure what to expect. I wasn't sure whether it would be a comedy, a drama, or an action film etc. So when the movie was finished and I was walking out of the cinema, I wasn't too sure what to make of it.
I didn't watch the movie for another few years until my friend got it on DVD and having nothing else to do, I decided to watch it again, hoping I would have a different point of view after watching it for a second time. And boy, am I glad I did!
Three Kings is a great movie with; I believe, a deeper meaning. The basic plot is about 4 soldiers in the Gulf War who discover a map on a prisoner after the war is over. It turns out that the map shows the location of $23 million worth of Kuwaiti bullion stolen by the Iraqis. So these 4 soldiers set about getting themselves a nice little bonus. However, upon retrieving the gold, Sgt. Archie Gates (Clooney) and his men are faced with a dilemma: take the gold and allow innocent Iraqi people to be slaughtered by the Iraqi soldiers OR take the gold, try & save the Iraqi people. Obviously the second option comes along with a lot more risk. Gates' moral conscience takes over and he decides upon the latter, citing that "necessity had just changed" and so on goes the movie.
I think David Russell did a fantastic job directing the movie, and getting his message across, which I believe was that President George Bush (Sr.) left the Iraqi people to die.
When America won the Gulf war, President Bush told the people to rise against Saddam and that they would have the full support of the United States of America. Whereas in reality, Bush didn't give a rats a@! and innocent civilians were getting slaughtered while Bush felt he had done his part and `won the war'.
Overall, I believe Three Kings would be an excellent addition to anyone's DVD collection. Clooney, Ice Cube & Mark Wahlberg are all superb in their roles and it makes for a highly entertaining film.

This is like no other war movie I have ever seen. It was not your typical blood and guts tragedy that drags on. The camera work in this movie was unbelieveable! And the story line kept my interest all the way through the credits. What sets this apart from other war movies, is that Three Kings was about post-war and the after effects. Dealing with refugees and stolen goods. Say no more...I do not want to spoil anything. Check this movie out, you will NOT be disappointed.

Looked great, was exciting and original, and was one of the most visually imaginative movies I have ever seen. With this and Out of Sight under his belt (and the Coens' "Brother Where Art Thou" and Wolfgang Peterson's "Perfect Storm" on the way) George Cloony could turn out to be a really great cool actor, and Mark Wahlberg proves once again (see Boogie Nights) that he is more than just a singer who drops his pants. Ice Cube and Spike Jonze were great as well, I might add. The best part about this movie is that it doesn't abandon intelligence like most action movies do these days, and preserves a strong political viewpoint throughout. The footage of the bullet entering the body was unlike anything ive seen used in film, and the gunfight scene in the villaige was great. I think the most important part of the movie however was the long running scene in the bunker between the imprisoned Wahlberg and his captor, who lost his wife and child in one of the US's air strikes. It shows that both sides have something to lose, and offers the fact that the US can't always be seen as the only side fighting for a richeous cause in a war. By the way: I am not one who likes to pass judgement on other peoples' movie opinions, but I must say that anybody who gives Ace Ventura precedence over this masterwork has more than a few screws loose. I can't wait for the DVD.

Three Kings is a wonderful film that was directed by David O.Russell, he injects the film with alot of humor, action and some highly emotional scenes. The film was also inovative and highly original following the gulf war Goerge Bush snr. has just ordered a cease fire ending the war and the soldiers are celebrating, a group of American soldiers in Iraq find a map (you'll see where they find it hidden which I thought was hillarious) which they hope will lead them to a large amount of gold near to thier desert base stolen from Kuwait by Saddam Hussein's army, this particular plot was based on another war film Kelly's Heroes starring Clint Eastwood.
The three soldiers are played by George Clooney, Mark Walberg and Ice Cube who are all terrific in their own right and they make for a great cast of characters, another soldier played by Director Spike Jonze was also terrific he is somewhat of an idiot and the kind of person that wears night vision gogles during broad daylight he also asks the dumbest questions to George Clooney's character alot which had me cracking up.

As they head of on their trail they manage to see many war attrocities done by the Iraqi soldiers on innocent citizens which makes the soldiers rethink about what their realy doing and get involved by helping some refugees based on a moral issue which then causes alot of problems.
Director David Russel does a great job balancing the dark humor and serious drama he also manages to bring up the subject of U.S. policy at the time and how they encouraged but failed to support the civil uprising against Saddam. The film overall is very entertaining although some people won't like the realistic violence but then again this is a war film, I highly recomend this film which is a brilliant and thought provocking masterpiece and David has directed this film with great style and it has fantastic cinamatography what else can I say if you haven't seen this film then just buy it and enjoy.

Along with American Beauty, The Fight Club and Eyes Wide Shut, Three Kings is a good example of how major studios have made some pretty inventive films in 1999.

What sets Three Kings apart from other, more conventional war movies is the way it blends a huge array of ideas into one cohesive structure. George Clooney, Ice Cube and Mark Whalberg play the three kings, a group of American soldiers who find a map giving the location of stolen Kuwaiti gold in a prisoners rectum. As the gulf war is nearing an end they commandeer a humvee and make their way across the desert in search of the loot.

The movies first half an hour takes a very comic, up-beat tone. When the soldiers arrive at a small village everything appears to be going well until they are exposed to the slaughtering of innocent civilians. Mark Whalberg is captured and at this point the film turns into a rescue film.

Three Kings eventually turns into the type of movie where the soldiers can no longer pillfer the gold but must simply do what is right. In a way this seems like a sort of compromise from what the film was trying to say at the beginning but it all works out right in the end. What's the most interesting is how director David O. Russell comments on modern day media and consumerism. Three Kings is quite distinctive in the sense that it has far more things to say than a standard movie.

Visually speaking Three Kings is also a treat to watch. One in particular example stands out, a controversial shot of a bullet slowly entering a human body. What makes this shot so unique is the fact that it is filmed from the perspective of being inside a human body. There has also been a great emphasis on the colors in this film. The desert a wonderful visual backdrop that Russell takes full advantage of.

The films conclusion is ultimately the one major flaw here. It is quite sad when you see such a unique film take on a very straight forward and predictable ending.

For the most part though Three Kings is intelligent, thought provoking and a very funny film.

I had to write this review after reading what the guy from Russia said. This movie was incredible the camera work was great and George Clooney and the entire supporting cast did a wonderful job. If you had a choice between Ace Ventura and this well if you are a serious film buff. You will make the right decision. ENJOY

A completely original war movie, "Three Kings" was one of the best movies of 1999 and possibly of the decade. Though not as commercially successful as it deserved to be, it received widespread critical acclaim for its director, David O. Russell, and excellent cast, including George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze ("Being John Malkovich").

A tale of greed and compassion set among the dust and desolation of Iraq during the Gulf War, "Three Kings" succeeds on many levels because it is unafraid to ask difficult questions about morality and humane actions in the midst of carnage.

Though revolving around war, the film is not without its dark humor. In fact, there are several laugh-out-loud moments in the midst of ominous dread (an exploding cow, a strategically placed map, Nora Dunn's hilarious journalist). Beautifully downplaying the ironic wit and enhancing the suspense, the cast is always believable and a pleasure to watch.

"Three Kings" is bold and unapologetic, and probably not for everyone. But it is a truly unique war story and an excellent source of food for thought.

Tired of standard Hollywood war propaganda? Well, rent "Three Kings" and you'll get a nice, fresh, invigorating slap in the face. This is a movie that zaps you out of your comfort zone and keeps you bouncing off the walls. Instead of Rambo heroics, director David Russell gleefully scrapes away war film stereotypes to reveal the contradictory stew of real life, the whole messy range from humor to the banal horror called violence. Neither preachy nor PBS, Russell fires up his film with a modern, gen-something manic energy reminiscent of Run Lola Run; and then, just when you're feeling all hyped up, he slows things down and makes you care. In this film, the plot is hijacked by reality, the lessons are all in the process, the process speeds by at Mach 9, you're not in Kansas any more, the enemies are human beings ... and our guys are thieves with a conscience, American foot soldiers who get in over their heads and are forced, painfully, to evolve from dumb muscle to flawed heroes worthy of redemption. It's all so crazy, it must be real. This is an intelligent, compassionate, courageous, self-assured film; it has clear eyes and a strong, young voice that is confident of being heard. If you have an ounce of soul, you'll applaud.