Three Kings (1999)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

David O. Russell

Writers (WGA):

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

Release Date:

1 October 1999 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | 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 | Iraq | Persian Gulf | Gulf War

Awards:

5 wins & 13 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 8	11:00 PM	AMC
Thur. July 9	2:30 PM	AMC

Cast

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)
Tres reyes (Argentina) (Mexico) (Spain) [es]
Les rois du désert (Canada: French title) (France) [fr]
Üç kral (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Kolm kuningat (Estonia) [et]
Kolme kuningasta (Finland) [fi]
Sivatagi cápák (Hungary) [hu]
Three Kings (Italy) [it]
Three Kings - Es ist schön König zu sein (Germany) [de]
Três Reis (Portugal) [pt]
Tre konger (Norway) [no]
Tre kungar (Finland: Swedish title) [sv]
Trois rois (Canada: French title) [fr]

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:

Clooney, a notorious prankster, played a prank on Nora Dunn by putting an apple on the antenna of a Humvee and catapulting it, hitting her on the forehead. The only cast member Clooney did not prank was Ice Cube saying, "Cube's not gonna take it. He doesn't have to. He's from South Central."

Goofs:

Continuity: When the little girl is kneeling next to her murdered mother, her father puts his arms around her to comfort her. In shots where the camera is behind them, he has his arms around her, in shots when the camera is facing them, his arms are behind her.

Quotes:

Amir Abdullah: You know what I think? You're stealing gold, that's what I think. We're fighting Saddam and dying, and you're stealing gold.
Archie Gates: You're wrong.
Amir Abdullah: They have half a million men in the desert and they send four guys to pick up all this bullion? I don't think so.

Movie Connections:

Featured in You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Power

I Was Surprised

I avoided this film for some time because I have a strong dislike of war films, particularly relatively recent wars. Too bad for me. I finally rented it because of the impressive works I've seen by Mr. Russell. This is not a war film, even though it takes place during a war, and in a war zone. This is a film of humanity. Like many other films that I find excellent, this film deals with the human condition on many levels. There's pathos, humor, love, violence, ad infinitum. You'd get a sterilized version of what this film shows on the evening news. It shows that our soldiers, just as ourselves, are human, with all our frailities. And, I believe, it gives an honest account of what life is like for the people of the Middle East.

Fine acting by truly fine actors, great cinematography, and a very intelligent script make this a must see film.