The plot-outline to this movie sounds like it might be a lot of fun. A treasure-hunt in a post-Gulf-War scenario. Probably not a real brain-tickler but lots of cool jokes and over-the-top action to make up for it. Of course such a movie could never be politically correct since it would have to completely ignore the fact that a war is a deadly serious thing and not funny at all - but Hollywood has a long history of movies that go to war just for the thrills of it and get away with it splendidly. So why not this one?
Because, unfortunately, it does not want to - that's why.
Half way through the movie the authors for some reason decided, that they wanted it to be politically correct. Even worse: they wanted to offer serious insights into issues such as the questionable politics of the US and its consequences for the civilian population of Iraq. Normally this would be a perfectly honest thing to do and you might even get a rather good movie out of it. But then you should go there from the first minute on and not start out like "Three GI's find the map to a huge gold treasure in the rear of an Iraqi soldier and decide to go into enemy territory in order to single-handedly steal the gold." At this point you have definitely missed the train to all serious considerations of politics or ethics. If the plot outline of your movie is that silly, you have to bear with it. Make an action movie. Write something like "True Lies" in the desert. Otherwise you get what "Three Kings" has become: a movie that is too shallow to be taken serious and too inhibited to be fun. (3/10)
Because, unfortunately, it does not want to - that's why.
Half way through the movie the authors for some reason decided, that they wanted it to be politically correct. Even worse: they wanted to offer serious insights into issues such as the questionable politics of the US and its consequences for the civilian population of Iraq. Normally this would be a perfectly honest thing to do and you might even get a rather good movie out of it. But then you should go there from the first minute on and not start out like "Three GI's find the map to a huge gold treasure in the rear of an Iraqi soldier and decide to go into enemy territory in order to single-handedly steal the gold." At this point you have definitely missed the train to all serious considerations of politics or ethics. If the plot outline of your movie is that silly, you have to bear with it. Make an action movie. Write something like "True Lies" in the desert. Otherwise you get what "Three Kings" has become: a movie that is too shallow to be taken serious and too inhibited to be fun. (3/10)