Three Kings
Starring George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube

Slipping into G.I.Joe mode, George Clooney takes Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg hunting for Kuwaiti gold stolen by Sadaam Hussein. This turns out to be a life changing experience for all involved. Three Kings manages to depict the Persian Gulf War rather effectively, which is impressive, given that the film takes place after the war has ended. Unconventional is an understatement.

The film begins with the cease-fire in Iraq. We are invited to witness some of the wild victory parties made by soldiers who didn't know why they were there. The situation forces the American withdrawal from Kuwait, leaving citizens to fend for themselves, with only verbal support from President Bush to lift their spirits. Citizens are still under the rule of Sadaam's remaining underlings, and though the bombing has stopped, the terror remains. Sadaam's soldiers simply ignore any US soldier presence. What thrusts this film into high gear is the underlying morality question: find the gold and go, or stay and fight the war the United States had abandoned.

George Clooney is, simply put: G.I.Joe, a role that he was born for. Most of Clooney's characters have always been unshaven rough looking men who deserve conviction and trust. Typically any testosterone based film full of men in uniforms holding firearms, is inherently cool, but this is Clooney's forte. Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube add diversity to the mix, each contributing personalities that make the situations more exciting.

As far as the film's accuracy concerning the Persian Gulf War; though it is a fictional situation, the movie is rather accurate as for the tone it sets and the details it displays. There is strong emphasis put on President Bush's poor involvement in patching up Kuwaiti lives, gas attacks, and violations of the civil rights of citizens by Saddams' Army. No stone is left unturned, as characters are aware of the capitalist nature of the oil war.

Three Kings manages to step over any cliches and instead tries out a new type of war film. The best way to describe it would be as a combination of MASH, Pulp Fiction and basically any serious war film. Three Kings manages to be innovative and treads new territory in the genre combining a treasure heist with a war film. The film is quite funny, yet manages to stay serious when needed. The nail-biter of an ending is realistic and unpredictable. David O' Russell's script and direction make for a very stylish film with the most notable scene being the "inside" look at the damage a bullet causes upon entry into the human body.

The film manages to be entertaining, original, and effective in expressing its message to the public about what the war was really like. The only other big-budget feature film to tackle Operation: Desert Storm was "Courage Under Fire," starring Denzel Washington and directed by Ed Zwick (Glory, Legends Of The Fall). Courage was a great film as well, but its moral message could have been packaged around any war. Three Kings is one of the best films of the year. It would be hard to find another Desert Storm film that could possibly be as compelling.