Three Kings is an unconventional war picture filmed in gritty almost music video MTVish style of film editing. The story follows three American soldiers, at the end of the Gulf War, who set out to steal a huge cache of gold stolen by the Iraq army. At first the soldiers quest is to steal the gold which is unbelievably easy, because the US Air Force has bombed the Iraq army into submission and a cease-fire agreement.
However, despite the cease-fire, the Iraqis are still murdering innocent civilians. They tell the American soldiers to take the stolen gold and not interfere with their brutality of civilians and rebels. The American soldier's compassion begins to over shadow their greed for gold as Iraqi rebels and displaced civilians beg them to help fight the Iraqi army and flee towards the safety of Iran -- something which President George Bush has forbidden Americans to do.
At times Three Kings, a Gulf War update of the '70s war classic Kelly's Heroes, visits the same graphic violence of war reminiscent of last year's Pvt. Ryan, but it falls short of Ryan's dramatic punch. But still, Three Kings is an eye-opening film examining the Gulf War and how man's greed can sometimes turn into redemption.
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