Go for Gold! (Three Kings (DVD))

Member Name: daseaford

Product:	Three Kings (DVD)
Date:	20/01/02 (23 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of action.

Disadvantages: Some strange camera effects.

This film is set in March 1991in Iraq, at the end of the Gulf War. Whilst most of the American soldiers are preparing for their return home to the United States, a few are more interested in looking for a stash of stolen gold bullion to steal in order to change their lives for ever.

An Iraqi prisoner is found to be hiding a map which seems to show where the gold bullion is hidden and so a motley group of American soldiers go in search of the gold. The group is led by Major Archie Gates, a Special Forces officer (played by George Clooney). The other members of the group are Sergeant Troy Barlow (played by Mark Wahlberg), Conrad Vig (played by Spike Jonze) and Chief Elgin (played by Ice Cube).

Without George Clooney I think this film would have been a lot poorer. He plays the role of the rebel officer really well and is very convincing as the all-conquering force when the team enter the Iraqi village that is hiding the secret bunker where the gold bullion is stored.

The film shows how becoming a soldier and fighting in a war can change men, but how they still have deep humanitarian feelings when it counts. The story shows the interaction between the American soldiers, the Iraqi Republican Guard, the local civilians and the freedom fighters. What started as a very obvious task of stealing the gold soon becomes complicated as the men are caught up in the freedom fight and the brutality of the Iraqi soldiers.

The film does include brutal killings and torture and I would not recommend it for anybody a bit sensitive and definitely not for young children. There is also a lot of swearing in the film. (The film is rated 15).

There are some excellent special effects and stunts in the film that add a good dose of realism. However, there are one of two strange camera effects that I really couldn’t make my mind up if I liked them or not. At times some of the killings are shown in slow motion, which is very effective, but does rem
ind you that this is just a film and takes away the reality of the moment. Perhaps that is deliberate and what the director intended, but I don’t think so. The other effect that was used a few times was to change the colours of everything in a short sequence. There is a warning at the beginning of the video that this is going to happen, so I assume a number of people probably returned their videos thinking there was a fault in the recording. I really did not understand why this effect was used, perhaps I missed the point somewhere.

The film is certainly action packed and very good to watch. The acting is very good and the whole thing is put together very well. There is a bit of a sub plot involving two female war correspondents which adds an extra dimension to the story which does work quite well. As a lot of the action of the film takes place in and around caves and bunkers, it is quite topical considering the events going on in Afghanistan.

I would recommend this film to anyone who enjoys good action movies. As we have bought this video I know that we will definitely be watching it again and I am sure we will enjoy just as much on future viewings.

Summary: