Three Kings is a strange movie in that it tries to peek under the covers of the media event known as the Gulf War. Sort of. It actually starts just as the war has ended so it actually doesn't show any of the war at all. It doesn't matter though. The point of the movie is really a debate of why we were there.
The movie opens as U.S. troops are primarily engaged in partying and clean up duty. Processing prisoners of war leads to the discovery of a map. Our heroes Archie Gates (Clooney), Troy Barlow (Wahlberg), Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) and Conrad Vig (Jonze) realize the map probably leads to stockpiles of Kuwaiti gold and set off on an unauthorized road trip to go get it.
What began as pure greed quickly transforms into something more serious. Our four soldiers are confused by the behavior of Iraqis to their presence. The military ignores them while civilians treat them as saviors. As the situation gets out of hand they are forced to make a decision to help or leave.
The actions of the four is in many ways a miniaturized version of the war. They initially go in just to get the gold. Then they discover that there are real people in trouble here. Whoops! Now they have to do something. They see that the Iraqi people tried to use the war to gain freedom and were brutally put down. The world fails to back them up. They have to decide what means more to them. Stealing the gold and living life as rich men or using the gold to help these people find freedom and avoid persecution.
The four soldiers are wildly different people and they each have their own take on the situation. Gates is a smart guy soon to be retired. He has to struggle with his comfort in life and his conscience. Elgin is a more important man in the army than he back home. For him it's a struggle between his conscience and his stature in life. Barlow is recently a father and suddenly realizes that these are people they've been blowing up. His sympathy rapidly overwhelms greed. Vig is an uneducated man with no role in life outside the army. His companions ride him trying to bring out a hint of maturity. In many ways he is the most fascinating character. Played extremely well by Spike Jonze, Vig is getting his first real education on the battlefield. His eyes are opened wide and fast and he changes rapidly before our eyes.
There is a lot of humor in this movie but it derives from the characters. It isn't just the telling of jokes. Mostly it serves as counterpoint to the gravity of the situation. It fits perfectly with the tendency of the film to show the consequence of every action. When a gun is fired, you know exactly what the result and ramifications are.
My only real complaint with the movie is that it is a little emotionally detached. Apart from Vig, I found it hard to emotionally connect with these characters. Wahlberg for instance is pretty much the same person he is in his other movies. He wasn't bad, he just failed to draw me in. It's still a great film. It has a lot to say and has a unique visual style all its own. There is a lot to like here. I just wanted to like them a little more.
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