The Kingdom

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BaggedLancer
BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
edited December 2007 in Music & Movies
Wow, wow, and wow. This was a great movie.....had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire movie but I love these type of movies anyway.

The action scenes are great, not overdone, but just right.

The movie really depicts how many of the people in this part of the world view Americans as the terrorists, not some of their own people and what they will do to see that they don't survive.

The weapons for the Saudi's were realistic, a mix of crappy AK's, shotguns, RPGs, nail bombs, fertilizer bombs, etc.......

Another highlight was their culture is more important to them than war and solving violent crimes.

I'm not gonna spoil anything, so don't ask.

I'm gonna give this one 2 thumbs up as a must see.
Post edited by BaggedLancer on
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  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited September 2007
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    Movie was kick ****. Nice little history refresher in the beginning, followed shortly by an intense opening. Good pace throughout. Just when I thought it was going to have a weak finish, I was pleasantly suprised.

    Only bad point was sometimes I would miss a few words because of accents.
    Never Forget
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  • AsSiMiLaTeD
    AsSiMiLaTeD Posts: 11,722
    edited September 2007
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    51% right now on Rottentomatoes.com
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  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited September 2007
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    ...and its 90% with RT users!
    Never Forget
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  • Ron-P
    Ron-P Posts: 8,516
    edited September 2007
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    This will be a blind buy for me.
    If...
    Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
    Ron loves a film = don't even rent.
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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited September 2007
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    Polkmaniac wrote: »
    51% right now on Rottentomatoes.com

    I wouldn't believe anything you read for a movie like this. A huge majority of people don't support war in the middle east so they simply will vote the movie bad beacuse that's what this portrays.
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited September 2007
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    Bagged: Have you been to Saudi? If not, how do you know that it portrays how they (Saudi Arabs) view America? I have't seen the movie yet but I've seen several like it where people say the same thing you did and couldn't be more wrong.
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • hockeyboy
    hockeyboy Posts: 1,428
    edited September 2007
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    Ruh-ROh. In one fell swoop a movie review thread becomes a political thread JD...
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  • PolkThug
    PolkThug Posts: 7,532
    edited September 2007
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    jdhdiggs wrote: »
    Bagged: Have you been to Saudi? If not, how do you know that it portrays how they (Saudi Arabs) view America?

    The movie does a great job. In the movie, the dichotomy of US and Saudi relations corresponds to what has already happened in reality after the attacks on Americans on Saudi soil in '95 and '96. The movie is a continuation of that timeline, and the Saudi government in the movie acts as it had in the history books.

    Going into this movie, I thought it was going to be more of a shoot em up popcorn flick, and I was completely wrong.
    Never Forget
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  • MrNightly
    MrNightly Posts: 3,370
    edited September 2007
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    PT is right on... I felt it was a history lesson turned into a badass movie. :D

    While I didn't feel so uplifted or happy after the show, it was extremely well done. Stayed clear of being political, and just was a solid story. Well worth the viewing.
    Honoured to be, an original SOPA founding member
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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited September 2007
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    jdhdiggs wrote: »
    Bagged: Have you been to Saudi? If not, how do you know that it portrays how they (Saudi Arabs) view America? I have't seen the movie yet but I've seen several like it where people say the same thing you did and couldn't be more wrong.

    Before this takes a downward spiral go see the movie first.....then we can talk. And no, I havent been to Saudi and have no intention of going.
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  • George Grand
    George Grand Posts: 12,258
    edited September 2007
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    Been there and my experience was......

    If they were taking your money, they were all smiles. If you were just walking around downtown, you got kind of stared at. Now I'll admit, we weren't allowed to go downtown all that often, so perhaps repeated exposures to DIFFERENT sections of the city Jeddah would've yielded mixed results.
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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited September 2007
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    First time in Downtown Jeddah I got pointed at and then a bnch of them started hollering something at me. I think I could have ran a 3 minute mile at that point....

    The Saudi's were, for the most part, hypocritical turds, especially the prince's. Now the average worker (Egyptisn, Syrian, Indian, etc...) were some of the most sincere and hard working ****'s I've seen in my travels around. Similar expeirences in Riyad, Taife, and even Meccah. It's the Saudi nationals and their ****tard "Princes" system that's **** up the whole region.

    Bagged: No problem, just saying that the last couple of movies that "really grasped how they think about us" were complete propaganda BS. From what I saw of the previews, this looks to be more of the same. The thing is, if you haven't been there and interacted and talked to the people, how do you know it's realistic?
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • BaggedLancer
    BaggedLancer Posts: 6,371
    edited September 2007
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    jdhdiggs wrote: »

    Bagged: No problem, just saying that the last couple of movies that "really grasped how they think about us" were complete propaganda BS. From what I saw of the previews, this looks to be more of the same. The thing is, if you haven't been there and interacted and talked to the people, how do you know it's realistic?

    I guess I should have worded what I said a bit better.....since in the movie they did have the hard working mofos you described.....however, the ones that fought for their "cause", it seemed pretty realistic......doing whatever it takes to kill an american.....much like we see on the news here in the states, the IED's, suicide bombers, etc.....from any country.
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  • MerLuv
    MerLuv Posts: 10
    edited September 2007
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    ...what I want to know about was the sound? Good mix? Clear? Will it be okay in a theater or should I wait to watch it in my HT (which generally sounds better than most of the theaters around these parts).
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited December 2007
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    Bought HD-DVD cut on this movie, very clean transfer, and great PQ. SQ is clean and solid, but nothin spectacular.

    Storyline is very compeling and suspenseful.
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • Roy Munson
    Roy Munson Posts: 886
    edited December 2007
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    The movie gave me a headache, not from the content or storyline but from the over use of the "shaky cam". Man, I'm sick and tired of this gimmick that imho ruins many movies and TV. Someone needed to get the director a "steady cam"!

    Two thumbs down.
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited December 2007
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    Another great movie. The ending was fantastic. Opening scene was very good, too. Even my wife liked this one.

    Pay close attention to the timeline at the very beginning of the movie. It's educational.
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  • mrbigbluelight
    mrbigbluelight Posts: 9,273
    edited December 2007
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    ^^^^

    Ditto.
    Sal Palooza
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited December 2007
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    I've been to Saudi. Best food in the world and absolutely the cheapest price at the pump for gasoline.
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited December 2007
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    Early B. wrote: »
    Another great movie. The ending was fantastic. Opening scene was very good, too. Even my wife liked this one.

    Pay close attention to the timeline at the very beginning of the movie. It's educational.

    Definitely agree, some amazing facts going on in the timeline, just watched this one on HD DVD, PQ was very good lossless audio was outstanding. Gunshots sounded as if I had the gun firing in my living room. A must own on HD DVD.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

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  • jdhdiggs
    jdhdiggs Posts: 4,305
    edited December 2007
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    rskarvan wrote: »
    I've been to Saudi. Best food in the world and absolutely the cheapest price at the pump for gasoline.

    Wrong IMO on the first (You probably only ate at higher end resteraunts and not with families) REAL suadi food, not Lebonese, Indian, or Yemenese food is disgusting. You're definately wrong on the second, Chavez holds that one. $0.12/gallon vs $1/gallon

    Some of the nuances from the movie were great and real: ("I knew something was wrong about him, Saudi's don't do labor") The armed walls and concrete bunkers everywhere in the wealthier parts of the city.

    A lot were not.- Too many to list....
    There is no genuine justice in any scheme of feeding and coddling the loafer whose only ponderable energies are devoted wholly to reproduction. Nine-tenths of the rights he bellows for are really privileges and he does nothing to deserve them. We not only acquired a vast population of morons, we have inculcated all morons, old or young, with the doctrine that the decent and industrious people of the country are bound to support them for all time.-Menkin
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited December 2007
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    You are right... I ate at higher end establishments. I did enjoy the middle-eastern food. I filled up the rental car at $0.35 per gallon. So, if Chavez is selling it for $0.12/gallon, you are correct.

    Anyway, I enjoyed my time in Saudi Arabia. However, the beeches in the Persian Gulf (Dammam) are littered with trash. It was interesting to see the Saudi women swimming in the gulf with full veils and dress on their head.
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited December 2007
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    My experiences run pretty much concurent with James.

    The Sauds tend to suck. Omanis and Emirates are very pro western and in downtown Muscat and Abu Dhabi and Dubai, I felt safer on the street than in Charleston. Ditto re the food. I did find a schwarma stand in Muscat that the owner went to UNC and lived in Raleigh for a long time and only returned to take over the family business when his Dad's health failed. Very nice guy.

    James is also right about the imported workers.....just the nicest people you could meet.

    Much of the Kingdom was filmed in Abu Dhabi, it looked very familiar.

    When I was there gas was very expensive....it depends on where you are at. In Muscat, we were paying about 1.25US per LITRE (about 5 bucks/gallon). Don't remember Abu Dhabi but it was similar.

    BDT
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited December 2007
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    Link for global gasoline prices (2005)
    I was in Saudi Arabia in 1997.

    http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices/
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited December 2007
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    Back to the actual movie... :)

    Watched it last night, I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Your basic action flick, well done but not much in terms of story line or character development. Definitely not Syriana but still enjoyable to watch.
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited December 2007
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    Sami wrote: »
    Back to the actual movie... :)

    Watched it last night, I'd give it a 3 out of 5 stars. Your basic action flick, well done but not much in terms of story line or character development.

    Story line and character development in an action flick? That's an oxymoron. Blood & bullets is all I wanna see. If I want character development, I'll watch a chick flick with the wife.

    I understand what you mean, though. That's why I mentioned the best parts being the beginning and the ending. That's where all of the action is.
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  • hearingimpared
    hearingimpared Posts: 21,137
    edited December 2007
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    rskarvan wrote: »
    Link for global gasoline prices (2005)
    I was in Saudi Arabia in 1997.

    http://money.cnn.com/pf/features/lists/global_gasprices/

    Who gives a flip?
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  • Sami
    Sami Posts: 4,634
    edited December 2007
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    Early B. wrote: »
    Story line and character development in an action flick? That's an oxymoron.

    That's why I said it's your basic action movie, nothing more, nothing less. :)
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  • Ron-P
    Ron-P Posts: 8,516
    edited December 2007
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    I watched the HD-DVD last night, fantastic film. I wasn't impressed with the DD+ track though, it seemed quite weak. From my research it seems to be the mix as it was the same way in the theater...too bad. This could have sounded so much better.
    If...
    Ron dislikes a film = go out and buy it.
    Ron loves a film = don't even rent.
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited December 2007
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    Ron-P wrote: »
    I watched the HD-DVD last night, fantastic film. I wasn't impressed with the DD+ track though, it seemed quite weak. From my research it seems to be the mix as it was the same way in the theater...too bad. This could have sounded so much better.

    Glad you mentioned that. I guess I wasn't the only one that noticed this. I wanted to point the finger at my HT system.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

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