Three Kings (1999)

Editor's Note David O. Russell makes his entry into the major studio big leagues with the electric war dramedy THREE KINGS. The politically charged script, based on a fictional story by John Ridley, is a sly reworking of KELLY'S HEROES, and concerns four Gulf War soldiers who discover a map that may lead to an enormous stash of gold bullion. Russell gives actors George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze a chance to shine, in roles that step outside the usual cinematic clichés and enable them to create human, believable characters, resulting in one of 1999's most exciting, original, and underrated motion pictures.

	Mark Wahlberg
	Said Taghmaoui
	Cliff Curtis
	Holt McCallany
	Liz Stauber
	George Clooney
	Judy Greer
	Spike Jonze
	Nora Dunn
	Mykelti Williamson
	Ice Cube
	Jamie Kennedy
	Catherine Hardwicke - Production Designer
	John Ridley - Story
	Carter Burwell - Composer
	David O. Russell - Screenwriter
	Thomas Newman - Additional Music/Songs
	Kym Barrett - Costume Designer
	Newton Thomas Sigel - Director of Photography
	Paul Junger Witt - Producer
	Charles Roven - Producer
	Robert K. Lambert - Editor
	David O. Russell - Director

David O. Russell's multifaceted war film is an exhilarating display of cinematic bravado. As the Gulf War winds to a close, three American soldiers discover a map that leads to a stash of gold bullion hidden in a bunker by Sadaam Hussein's army. The soldiers--Sgt. Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg), "Chief" Elgin (Ice Cube), and Pvt. Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze)--are busted by Special Forces Sgt. Major Archie Gates (George Clooney). Gates orders a top-secret mission in which the four of them will track down the gold and keep it for themselves. Their journey seems simple enough, as Hussein's troops ignore the Americans due to the recently called truce. But after securing the gold, they witness the execution of an Iraqi woman in front of her family. Their morality compels them to fight for what is right, risking their lives--and the gold--in the process. Working within the limitations of the war genre, Russell manages to reinvent and revitalize it by shooting the film with a bleached out look and hyper-kinetic editing style. He also stuffs it with a potent blend of comedy and drama that is reminiscent of Robert Altman's M*A*S*H, only he updates it for the materialistic 1990s. Variety
"...[THREE KINGS is] impudently comic, stylistically aggressive....Clooney, Cube and, particularly, Wahlberg deliver rugged and well-considered turns..." p.34-6

Rolling Stone
Ranked #6 in Rolling Stone's "Ten Best Movies of 1999" -- "...An acutely funny and astutely provocative [satire]..." 01/20/2000 p.63-4

Rolling Stone
"...An acutely funny and provocative surprise....[Clooney] gives his finest performance to date..." 10/14/1999 p.135-6

Premiere
"...Zeal and inventiveness....It's impossible not to be impressed..." -- 4 out of 5 stars 05/01/2000 p.95

Box Office
"...Fresh, funny dialogue....With a grab-bag of visual tricks..." 12/01/1999 p.60

USA Today
"...KINGS is more interested in guts than glory, in all its meanings....Russell nails the absurdity angle..." 10/01/1999 p.6E

Los Angeles Times
"...Especially effective is Clooney who perfectly conveys the combination of capability, authority and a touch of larceny the film insists on..." 10/01/1999 p.C1

Chicago Sun-Times
"...It has the freedom and recklessness of Oliver Stone or Robert Altman in their mad-dog days....THREE KINGS is awake and hyper..." 10/01/1999 p.31