Three 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.

Release Year: 1999

Rating: 7.2/10 (84,821 voted)

Critic's Score: 82/100

Director:
David O. Russell

Stars: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, Ice Cube

Storyline
A small group of adventurous American soldiers in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War are determined to steal a huge cache of gold reputed to be hidden somewhere near their desert base. Finding a map they believe will take them to the gold, they embark on a journey that leads to unexpected discoveries, enabling them to rise to a heroic challenge that drastically changes their lives.

Writers: John Ridley, David O. Russell

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

Taglines:
They're deserters, rebels and thieves but in the nicest way

Details

Official Website:
Warner Bros |

Release Date: 1 October 1999

Filming Locations: Arizona, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $48,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: $15,847,636
(USA)
(3 October 1999)
(2942 Screens)

Gross: $60,652,036
(USA)
(13 February 2000)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Anthony Wiethoff was originally cast for the part of Cut Troy's Cuff Soldier but left the set due to disagreements with director David O. Russell's scenes of torture of US soldiers.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes:
In the scene when Chief and Conrad are arguing about which CD to listen to in a car, Chief puts a disc in which starts playing "easy listening classics". Conrad subsequently ejects it. The whole sequence takes place way to quickly for a typical CD player: the CD both starts playing too quickly and is ejected too quickly as well.

Quotes:

[first lines]

Troy Barlow:
Are we shooting?

Soldier:
What?

Troy Barlow:
Are we shootin' people or what?

Soldier:
Are we shooting?

Troy Barlow:
That's what I'm asking you!

Soldier:
What's the answer?

Troy Barlow:
I don't know the answer! That's what I'm trying to find out!

User Review

overlooked gem shows what a modern war really is

Rating: 9/10

It's hard to really adequately describe this movie. Let
me try.

For starters, in spite of the advertisements, it's not merely a remake of
"Kelly's Heroes". Yes, we are in a postwar situation, where a bunch of
Americans are trying to "recover" gold stolen
by the enemy, but that's the end of the similarities.

"Three Kings" does an excellent job of showing just how gonzo modern
warfare
has become. You've got unemployed reservists going to the Middle East for
kicks fighting Saddam, who uses
gas attacks, electric shock torture and other atrocities
to fight the rebels. Thrown in the mix are a U.S.-educated Iraqi whose
businesses were destroyed by the Americans, a
bunch of rebels and refugees living in bunkers, a CNN-type
correspondent facing the threat of younger reporters, and
Mark Wahlberg's character finding a cell phone in the Iraqi bunker and
using
it to call his wife in the U.S.

The movie is extremely funny at times, graphically violent
at
times, but always on target. It provides a lot of insight
into
how non-Americans view the U.S. I cannot think of another
major
movie which showed people in a third-world country as modern
people without patronizing. Even the soldiers shooting
at
our heros, gassing the refugees, and torturing Mark Wahlberg's character
are
shown as human beings.

Somehow this movie got lost last year amongst all the hype
for
"American Beauty". "Three Kings" looks to have much more staying power.
George Clooney continues to shine in yet
another under-appreciated performance. For somebody with
a
Hollywood legacy, he really seems to have pushed some of
the
wrong buttons in Hollywood. I cannot think of any other
explanation for why he has yet to achieve the acclaim his
performances deserve.