The Kingdom

*** Stars

The Kingdom, which was slated to open back in April of this year, manages to rise above that scheduling conflict and turn in a gritty, fast-paced thriller. Unfortunately, that's all it turns in.

Jamie Foxx is up to his usual tricks (like his other roles in Jarhead and Miami Vice) as a bad-ass in training and turns in an affective performance as Ronald Fleury, an FBI Special Agent who assembles an elite team to find a killer responsible for a terrorist attack (where Americans are killed) inside a Western housing compound in Saudi Arabia. His team is an A-list class with Chris Cooper, Jennifer Gardner, and a surprise dramatic turn from Arrested Development's Jason Bateman. When the team lands into the desert, they are unwelcome by the Saudi's. Through determination and passion, the team must find a way to come to an agreement with the them and find who is responsible before another tragic event occurs.

The movie is extremely face-paced. Peter Berg's (directed the wonderful Friday Night Lights) sharp direction really lets you forget that the film's characters are underwritten and puppets in a typical action thriller. Still, after the action is over, the movie ends on a note that brings the conclusion to a satisfying close.