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Features: DVD, Widescreen, Box Set, Director's Cut
Absurdly comic, highly kinetic, at times shockingly emotional, Three Kings begins when the Gulf War is over. Amid the partying and confusion, four American soldiers (George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube, and Spike Jonze), determined to take home more than sand fleas, go off into the Iraqi desert to find millions in stolen Kuwaiti bullion. They are plunged into the heart of a democratic uprising that spins the day and their lives out of control. David O. Russell's unique tapestry of humor, violence and history makes Three Kings "one of the best movies of the year. "(Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times)
"...one of the best movies of the year." Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
"...not to be missed." Apollo Guide
"...old war movie in postmodern terms." Stephen Hunter, Washington Post
"...entertaining and engaging..." Annlee Ellingson, Box Office Magazine
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.
Plot Summary
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.
| Features | Widescreen Version | | Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround | | Deleted Scenes | | Scene Access | | English Subtitles | | French Subtitles | | Interactive Menus | | Production Notes | | Theatrical Trailer | | Director's Video Journal | | Ice Cube Commentary | | Stills Gallery | | Behind-The-Scenes Documentaries | | Filmmaker Commentaries | | Creative Personnel Interviews |
| Technical Info
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Release Information
| | Studio: Warner |
| Release Date: 11/10/2009 |
| Running Time: 115 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1999 | | Catalog ID: 17862 | | UPC: 00085391786221 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English | | Available Subtitles: English, French | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 2.35:1 |
| Cast & Crew
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| | Professional Reviews | Variety
"...[THREE KINGS is] impudently comic, stylistically aggressive....Clooney, Cube and, particularly, Wahlberg deliver rugged and well-considered turns..." 9/27-10/3/1999 p.34-6Rolling 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 San Francisco Chronicle 9 of 10
Three Kings could have been a wise-guy adventure story. Instead it is--and is likely to remain--the definitive film about the Persian Gulf War. - Mick LaSalle
Time Magazine 8 of 10
Director David O. Russell set out on a mission to update the standard-issue war movie. He triumphs with the smart, funny and genially bizarre Three Kings... a brilliant exercise in popular but palpable surrealism. - Richard Schickel
James Berardinelli's ReelViews 8 of 10
Three Kings is not a traditional war picture--there are no big battles and only a few small-scale skirmishes. Instead, this is more of an action/adventure film, and a fairly good one at that. The characters are well developed, the situations are effectively realized, and, most importantly, there's some thought-provoking content just beneath the surface... The director manages to incorporate black humor and dramatic heft into a picture that, at the outset, appears to be conventional fare.
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  5 | | Plot | 5 | | Acting | 5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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1 of 2 customers found this review helpful.
5 of 5 More about current event's and reality then a war Thursday, March 27, 2003
Ross from Seattle , WA
Due to reacent event's this film has a level of realism then
just a war film the issues in this film ironically real and very
able to stand out in this film the second war in the gulf started
in the 3rd week of March 2003, about Iraqi refugee's and Saddam's
willingness to torture and kill the Iraqi people even though this
film is about the first war in the gulf 90 - 91.As George Clooney
said with his charachter the Iraqi people were sposed to rise up
agains Saddam Hussen's regime , But president Bush wanted all the
troops in an immediate withdrawl from Iraq it never happend and
in one scary scene in the film our three hero's George Clooney ,
Mark Whalberg, and Ice Cube are attacked with mustard gas wich
is a reality that most of our men and women over in the gulf now
are afraid of.
In this film three men work up a plan after the gulf war ends to go to a bunker that that conatins gold bulyon but they never
expected that it would be hidden and guarded by forces of the
Iraqi Republican Army they never thought it was going to need
there full attention because it is about the human side not the
finacial side , so insead of doing the wrong thing they decide to
do the right thing helping the people get across the border and
free them but it will not be before they have a war a private war
between Three Kings and the Republican Army of Iraq in this very
realistic story that blends realism , action , and comedy. Was this review helpful?  
2 of 2 customers found this review helpful.
5 of 5 Saturday, March 11, 2000
A Viewer from Chicago, IL
Three Kings is 'different'. It's not a comedy, not an action film, not an adventure film. It's a combination of all 3, plus a few other genres all thrown together. It's about men who try to steal gold, and end up getting involved with doing 'the right thing'. It's an anti-war war movie. It's not a formulaic movie, but it's something that every intelligent movie-goer should see. Was this review helpful?
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