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Three Kings

6.0

22,075

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Original title

Three Kings

Year

1999

Running time

115 min.

Country

United States

Director

David O. Russell

Screenwriter

David O. Russell. Story: John Ridley

Cast

Music

Carter Burwell

Cinematography

Newton Thomas Sigel

Producer

Warner Bros., Village Roadshow

Genre

War | Gulf War. Army. Satire

Synopsis

During the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, three American soldiers (Clooney, Wahlberg, and Cube) in Saudia Arabia are eager to get home. However, after finding a treasure map that might lead to the gold Saddam Hussein stole from Kuait, they decide to re-think their travel plans. Major Archie Gates (Clooney) leads the men on their treasure hunt with a ruthless reporter (Nora Dunn) close behind them. Meanwhile, there is a battle Kurd rebels are desperately trying to survive. They soon find they are conflicted between their greed for the gold and the plight of the people of Iraq.

Awards: 1999: Critics' Choice Awards: Breakthrough Performer (Jonze). 2 Nominations

1999: Boston Society of Film Critics Awards: Best Film & Best Director

1999: Writers Guild of America (WGA): Nominated for Best Original Screenplay

1999: Satellite Awards: nominated to Screenplay, Original.

1999: National Society of Film Critics (NSFC): nominated to Best Director.

1999: National Board of Review (NBR): nominated to Top Ten Films.

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Critics' reviews

"Three Kings is some kind of weird masterpiece, (...) It has the freedom and recklessness of Oliver Stone or Robert Altman in their mad-dog days, and a visual style that hungers for impact. (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of four)"

Roger Ebert: Chicago Sun-Times
"Just the second Hollywood feature, after “Courage Under Fire,” to take on the 1991 Gulf War, “Three Kings” does so in an impudently comic, stylistically aggressive and, finally, very thoughtful manner."

Todd McCarthy: Variety
"An extraordinary experience: an original and brilliant combination of comedy, action and sophisticated political comment -- the best American movie of the year thus far"

Jonathan Foreman: New York Post
"Visual pyrotechnics and dark humor aside, Three Kings rules because it dares to dig for such truths, whether banal or significant."

Susan Wloszczyna: USA Today
"Off-and-on cynical and sentimental, Russell's darkly comic tale shows how much can be done with familiar material when you're burning to do things differently and have the gifts to pull that off."

Kenneth Turan: Los Angeles Times
"Russell] not only has designed an action-adventure laced with incendiary humor but a movie that wants to explore race, politics, war, the media and U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East."

Kirk Honeycutt: The Hollywood Reporter
"A genre movie with an agenda that's too packed. Inevitably, some of the many balls it's juggling get dropped -- (but it's) one of the most entertaining and original actioners in several years."

Michael Wilmington: Los Angeles Times
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Ranking Lists Position

88 My Favorite War Movies (55)

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Three Kings

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