Three stars team up for this unusual look at America's role in the war against Iraq.
In 1991, as the Gulf War winds to a close, three American servicemen find themselves
happy to have achieved victory but wondering about the ultimate importance
of what they've done (especially since Saddam Hussein is still in power).
Sergeant Major Archie Gates (George Clooney) is a decorated Vietnam veteran and
special forces officer with two weeks to go before he retires; Sgt. Troy Barlow
(Mark Wahlberg) has a new baby at home; and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube) is probably
just going to end up back in Detroit. So when one of them comes across a map
that seems to point out where Saddam's forces have stashed a large cache of gold
they stole from Kuwait, they decide to follow the trail and take some of the
war booty for themselves. However, the deeper they journey into Iraq, the more
they see of the consequences of America's policies in the Middle East. Although
President George Bush and the American military urged Iraqi citizens to rise
up against Saddam Hussein, and pledged their support to a people's movement against
the leader, Iraqis found that when they took to the streets against Saddam,
the United States did not back them up, and the loss of Iraqi lives was fearsome.
When Gates, Barlow and Elgin become aware of what's happening, they're torn
between their desire to grab the fortune they came for and the demands of their
conscience to help the people they came to liberate. Three Kings was directed
by David O. Russell and marked a significant change of direction after his dark-humored
relationship comedies, Spanking the Monkey and Flirting with Disaster. |