One day in 1991, I raced upstairs to inform my mom that it "had started". By it, I mean some kind of third World War. Or at least, that's what CNN told me. Their night vision cameras -- live from Kuwait or Saudia Arabia or somewhere -- showed little Lite Brite fireflies dancing in the air and I was certain I was experiencing something scary and ominous. Or at least, that's what CNN told me. Hours went by, then days, then weeks, and nothing really changed. Somewhere, in some place far away, some troops were deployed in the event that something may or may not happen. The media had been able to hype me into fear about something that normally would have concerned me, but probably wouldn't have frenzied me into hysteria.
In light of September 11th, I am confident David O. Russell's Three Kings will go on to become a classic. The reason? For all its tragic aftermath, the disaster of 9/11 has also impacted the way we view the media as a resource for accurate information, and Three Kings is a powerful reminder that we often see only what we are meant to see. While the events of the Persian Gulf War seem more like a blip compared to recent Middle East developments, the timeless message Russell points out is hard to miss. War has the potential to be nothing more than propaganda; given the chance, people are apt to act cruelly and self-servingly; irony appears in all our actions and in what we do; televised news developments are often merely constructs of reporters desperate for a story.
The film takes place just after the Gulf War ended, take that as you will. We see Mark Wahlberg as Sgt. Troy Barlow, picking off some Mid-Easterner from a distance, even though the guy is frantically waving a white flag. After a raucous frat party celebration back at camp, Barlow and cohorts Conrad Vig (Spike Jonze), Cheif Elgin (Ice Cube), and Archie Gates (George Clooney) come across a map that could lead them to millions in gold (how they come across the map is one of the funnier parts of the movie). They set off to steal it, but in the process they actually come to know some of the native Arabs and subsequently break some cultural barriers by throwing themselves into an internal conflict of Iraqis versus Iraqis -- never losing sight, however, of wanting to make off with the gold itself.
Three Kings is a visceral experience, one which sets several precedents in its camerawork alone. The most notable sequence is a dangerous gun fight that has almost a Western quality. Here, the film speed is slowed to a snail's pace while the sound of the bullets whipping through the air is matched by a powerful, stop-motion effect that makes time stand still as each shot is fired. On impact, we see the bullet's disgusting handiwork on the human anatomy as colourful fluids gush out. Another shot that stayed with me was the effect of blood spilling out on the desert floor. Normally, this is a common visual, but Russell's decision to shoot the movie with a kind of whitened filter leaves the blood resembling an oil spill; a telling reminder of one of the factors that started the war.
The performances are secondary to the manic, ironic screenplay (luxury cars, cell phones, and blue jeans all become unexpected plot devices), but they are no less integral and accomplished. Clooney is the moral focal point, delivering a sturdy and assured performance as the ringleader. Wahlberg shows an unexplored side after his character, a new father, is kidnapped. Jonze is sufficient as the frantic smalltown soldier, and Ice Cube turns in yet another fine performance as the stolid but solemn follower.
I like movies that can open your eyes, or remind you of some of the inanities that exist in our world. Three Kings does this with a comic-book, swashbuckling charm that is much harder to describe than it is to experience. I was reminded of the persistent American need to be victorious and triumphant in all that they do, and thought to myself perhaps the Gulf War was labelled an American victory because it necessarily boosted a conception of national superiority and pride for their country. In light of September 11th, it's a theory that may have even more merit now.
Side note: An acquaintance of mine actually collected Gulf War trading cards. You could get General Schwarzkopf, the country of Yemen, or Saddam Hussein, which was naturally the toughest one to get. The cards may have been manufactured by Pro Set, but I've got a feeling a larger organization was reaping the profits of the patriotic dogma offered inside those packages.
