Review

Snapping at the heels of The Bourne Ultimatum is another motion-sickness thriller, The Kingdom—both so swervy and vertiginous and nerve-jangling that they ought to sell Dramamine at the concession stands. Sensationally directed by Peter Berg, it’s a combination forensics detective movie (car bomb blows up secure American compound in Saudi Arabia—who dunnit and how can we stop him from doing it again?) and red-meat waste-the-terrorists action picture. The subversive little twist is that the FBI team (led by Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, and Jennifer Garner) has to bully its way into the country and, once there, tiptoe around its out-of-touch princes while at the same time steering clear of its rabidly anti-American populace. Yes, this is our ally. Cooper has become a master at staying in the background yet upstaging everyone, and Garner is the ne plus ultra of action heroines: Those pillowy lips say at once “Kiss me” and “Kiss my ass.” — David Edelstein

Related Stories

New York Magazine Reviews

• David Edelstein's Full Review (10/1/07)

Featured In

• Megaplex Movies for the 2008 Primaries (9/3/07)