Three Kings

Striking enough when it came out in 1999, these days it looks a masterpiece, even a classic.

Works on all levels, as a heist movie, a war movie, a political thriller.  Best part is, it doesn’t let you know that’s what it’s doing.  And I’m sure that hurt its box office.  But the disparate elements, any one of which could jar the others in lesser hands, are well-balanced and forcefully presented.

This is made all the more impressive by the fact that nothing David O. Russell had done up to that point gave any indication that he would be a good guy to direct a heist/war/political-thriller movie.  And yet, scene after scene, he stages complicated, visceral action sequences not just competently but with flair, vigor, ingenuity and innovation.

Like Nora Dunn’s reporter, I had no idea why we invaded Iraq in 1991.  Had no idea what was at stake, who we were helping and why, except that it had something to do with Saddam and Kuwait and oil.  This movie, which seemed alarming and radical in 1999, now seems squarely mainstream, circumspect and humane in its treatment of volatile subject matter.  I don’t know who was responsible for green-lighting this movie, but whoever it was, way to go.

The acting is uniformly impressive.  In a movie that’s kind of all about finding layers of meaning, there isn’t a superficial performance in the bunch.  But after absorbing the star wattage of Clooney and Wahlberg, two performances stick out for me: Ice Cube and Spike Jonze as the rest of the squad.  Both of them deliver subtle, complex and nuanced portraits of individuals who could have easily, and entertainingly, been portrayed as loudmouths, louts or fools.  It makes me wish that Ice Cube had better scripts written for him and Spike Jonze did more acting.

Watching Spike Jonze’s performance, specifically, made me think of how the role of “ignorant hick” could have been played.  I thought of Tim-Blake Nelson in O Brother and how broad and comical he is compared to Jonze in this (as directed to be, I’m sure).  And then I realized, Hey, that’s George Clooney again, and Hey, they cruelly mistreat a cow in that movie too!  And hey, they’re seeking a fortune in that movie too!

Any other connections between Three Kings and O Brother are welcome.