The Kingdom

Despite its storybook title, this ain't no fairy tale. The Kingdom is a riveting ticking time bomb of a movie that really works. FBI special agent Jamie Foxx leads an elite squad of counterterrorism agents (including Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, and Jason Bateman) into Saudi Arabia after more than 100 U.S. citizens are killed in a terror attack. Problem is, when they get there they find the Saudis to be guarded and generally uncooperative, until hooking up with a like-minded local colonel who helps them break into the country's infrastructure and close in on the suspects. Although this movie is full of stunts and fights, it's also got smarts and succeeds in bending the genre a little bit. Sometime-actor Peter Berg has expertly directed an explosive film that manages to be a timely and important view into the powder keg that has become the Middle East and a take-no-prisoners political action thriller that delivers on every level. If the first half has a bit too much exposition and too many characters to sift through, fret not. The last 30 minutes are so intense, you won't be able to move. The number of movie projects focusing on the Middle East is rising quickly, but The Kingdom stands out because in addition to the obvious ripped-from-the-headline value of its subject matter, it is also adroit entertainment that won't bore you for a nanosecond. Foxx is at the leanest and meanest we've seen him in quite a while, and the other actors, particularly Bateman, each have their moments. This is one to catch.