Three Kings (1999)

Director:

David O. Russell

Writers (WGA):

John Ridley (story)
David O. Russell (screenplay)

Release Date:

1 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Drama | War

Tagline:

In a war without heroes they are kings

Plot:

In the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War, 4 soldiers set out to steal gold that was stolen from Kuwait, but they discover people who desperately need their help.

Plot Keywords:

Gold | Kuwait | Persian Gulf | Map | Gulf War

Awards:

6 wins & 13 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

George Clooney	...	Archie Gates
Mark Wahlberg	...	Troy Barlow
Ice Cube	...	Chief Elgin
Spike Jonze	...	Conrad Vig
Cliff Curtis	...	Amir Abdulah
Nora Dunn	...	Adriana Cruz
Jamie Kennedy	...	Walter Wogaman
Saïd Taghmaoui	...	Captain Said (as Said Taghmaoui)
Mykelti Williamson	...	Colonel Horn
Holt McCallany	...	Captain Van Meter
Judy Greer	...	Cathy Daitch
Christopher Lohr	...	Teebaux
Jon Sklaroff	...	Paco
Liz Stauber	...	Debbie Barlow, Troy's Wife
Marsha Horan	...	Amir's Wife

Also Known As:

Spoils of War (USA) (original script title)

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic war violence, language and some sexuality.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA | Australia

Language:

English | Arabic

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | South Korea:18 | Brazil:18 | Italy:VM18 (tv rating) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Canada:R (Ontario) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Germany:16 (w) | Hong Kong:IIA | Iraq:(Banned) | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #36912) | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Arizona, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

Archie Gates' uniform indicates that he is a Special Forces-qualified, Ranger-qualified member of the Combat Applications Group (CAG), formerly known as the Special Forces Operational Detachment "D", but more commonly known as "Delta Force." He is referred to as having been "with Delta." He also wears on his uniform the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Master Parachutist badge, the Pathfinder badge, and the SCUBA Diver qualification badge.

Goofs:

Factual errors: On the cars captured from Kuwait in the bunker, they all have Saudi Arabian license plates. Those plates all state S.A. Priv. (Saudi Arabia Private Vehicle) and are white in color. HOWEVER, those plates were used from the 70's until 1982 in Saudi Arabia and were a blue/green color.

Quotes:

Capt. Said: What would you feel if I bombed your wife?
Troy Barlow: Worse than death!
Capt. Said: Yes my friend... worse than death

Movie Connections:

Featured in "The Rotten Tomatoes Show: 17 Again/State of Play/Crank High Voltage (#1.8)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

In God's Country

overlooked gem shows what a modern war really is

It's hard to really adequately describe this movie. Let me try.

For starters, in spite of the advertisements, it's not merely a remake of "Kelly's Heroes". Yes, we are in a postwar situation, where a bunch of Americans are trying to "recover" gold stolen by the enemy, but that's the end of the similarities.

"Three Kings" does an excellent job of showing just how gonzo modern warfare has become. You've got unemployed reservists going to the Middle East for kicks fighting Saddam, who uses gas attacks, electric shock torture and other atrocities to fight the rebels. Thrown in the mix are a U.S.-educated Iraqi whose businesses were destroyed by the Americans, a bunch of rebels and refugees living in bunkers, a CNN-type correspondent facing the threat of younger reporters, and Mark Wahlberg's character finding a cell phone in the Iraqi bunker and using it to call his wife in the U.S.

The movie is extremely funny at times, graphically violent at times, but always on target. It provides a lot of insight into how non-Americans view the U.S. I cannot think of another major movie which showed people in a third-world country as modern people without patronizing. Even the soldiers shooting at our heros, gassing the refugees, and torturing Mark Wahlberg's character are shown as human beings.

Somehow this movie got lost last year amongst all the hype for "American Beauty". "Three Kings" looks to have much more staying power. George Clooney continues to shine in yet another under-appreciated performance. For somebody with a Hollywood legacy, he really seems to have pushed some of the wrong buttons in Hollywood. I cannot think of any other explanation for why he has yet to achieve the acclaim his performances deserve.