The opening credits cleverly give us a quick and dirty history of Saudi Arabia's growth, power and politics. It is an odd mix of "necessary evils" where the kings and princes within the Saudi kingdom must balance Muslim faith, extremists and the American influence which fund and thereby support the majority of their nation.Oil workers live in protected compounds where pseudo-American life continues. Outside of the compound a full Muslim-based theocracy awaits. Eventually these two cultures will clash. And the film opens with an explosive example.
An FBI investigative team featuring Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman use every influence possible to get onto Saudi soil, no small feat to be sure, and begin their investigation.
The heart of the film, however, are the people and relationships. In this fast paced film, Berg makes sure to include quiet moments of humanity and relationships so that we attach empathy and understanding to the characters involved in the story.
Barhom and FoxxFor example, Berg takes time with the tenuous and volatile relationship between Foxx as Fleury, the lead investigator and actor Ashraf Barhom, who plays Saudi police officer Faris, assigned to protect the FBI. Their relationship grows from suspicion to friendship as they find common interests in their goals despite the areas which are offset by their drastically different backgrounds and lifestyles. Without this concerted effort by Berg, this film would be nothing more than a collection of explosions and a blown out CSI episode.
The talented cast, intriguing storyline and excellent directing move The Kingdom above a standard "police procedural" story into an engrossing and taut thriller.
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