Metacritic Movie Ratings
The Kingdom Reviews

A sample of reviews from critics across the country.

• 70

  out of 100

  The New York TimesA.O. Scott

  The result is a slick, brutishly effective genre movie: "Syriana" for dummies. Which is not entirely a put-down.

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• 70

  out of 100

  Variety

  A realist thriller that mixes crowd-pleasing mayhem with provocative politics.

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• 63

  out of 100

  USA TodayClaudia Puig

  Director Peter Berg's frenetic style heightens tension and a sense of disorientation. But some will find its chaotic quality dizzying and off-putting.

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• 60

  out of 100

  Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan

  THE Kingdom has some power but not enough sense. A ripped-from-today's-headlines thriller, it wants us to feel as if we're watching something relevant when what's really going on is a slick excuse for efficient mayhem that's not half as smart as it would like to be.

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• 60

  out of 100

  The Hollywood Reporter

  Berg's movie is no more than an action movie with an exotic backdrop. That would be fine, if only the movie were more exciting. It succeeds neither as a pointed political commentary nor as a taut thriller.

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• 50

  out of 100

  Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern

  The Kingdom comes down to a police procedural, and one whose procedures prove none too interesting.

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• 42

  out of 100

  Entertainment WeeklyLisa Schwarzbaum

  So shameless is The Kingdom, ignoring consequence and treating its audience like cash-dispensing machines with buttons to be pushed rather than thinking individuals willing to consider the reality of America's entanglement with the Middle East.

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See all The Kingdom movie reviews at Metacritic.com