Three Kings

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Three Kings

R

Released Oct 1, 1999

1h 55m

War

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

132 Reviews

77%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Just after the end of the Gulf War, four American soldiers decide to steal a cache of Saddam Hussein's hidden gold. Led by Sergeant Major Archie Gates, three of the men are rescued by rebels, but Sergeant Troy Barlow is captured and tortured by Iraqi intelligence. The Iraqi rebels beg for the American trio to help fight against the impending arrival of Hussein's Elite Guard. The men agree to fight in return for help rescuing Troy.

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Critics Consensus

Three Kings successfully blends elements of action, drama, and comedy into a thoughtful, exciting movie on the Gulf War.

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Kirk Honeycutt

The Hollywood Reporter

[Russell] not only has designed an action-adventure laced with incendiary humor but a movie that wants to explore race, politics, war, the media and U.S. diplomacy in the Middle East. In large measure, he pulls it off with breathtaking aplomb.

Oct 25, 2019

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Radheyan Simonpillai

AskMen.com

It's amazing how much action can be crammed into a movie about a war where most soldiers didn't actually see any action.

Rated: 94/100

Apr 9, 2009

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

A damning yet idealistic satire about the motives behind U.S. foreign policy.

Aug 25, 2008

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Yasser Medina

Cinefilia

A war satire in which O' Russell, indirectly, mocks the foreign policy of the United States regarding the Gulf War. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Dec 13, 2023

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Chuck Klosterman

Akron Beacon Journal

Three Kings does offer nice comedic interplay between its lead performers and a compelling visual gimmick, all of which adds up to a strong (if not necessarily soul-shaking) production.

Rated: 3/4

Oct 27, 2023

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

It has a distinctive look and feel, an atmosphere of burnout and chaos; it launches at a high energy level and generally stays there. The buzz, however, wears off fast.

Rated: B-

Sep 2, 2022

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Jed I

5.7/10 — "Mediocre"/"Passable"

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

09/27/25

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Blu B

A Classic War Flick. It's chaotic, unrefined, and slightly dated at times. Good music but sometimes the bongos feel out of place but are distinct for a war flick. Good editing overall but it can feel a bit like it's showing off. The weird music video editing in the village fight doesn't add anything and so out of place. Lots of slow motion, fast cuts, and sometimes it feels like it needs to settle down. Everything else though is really good. The whole storyline with the reporter feels like that could've been cut and not lose much. Even though it adds more context to the war and why it was pointless, there really isn't enough context here for someone who doesn't already know about or lived through the Gulf War to understand why it was. This film doesn't explain that very well. But the core gold hunt does come together with a great ending despite jumping around in the middle with the reporter, Whalberg, and the core group. Clooney and Whalberg are really good here and are the highlights acting wise. The color saturation look reminds me of a Bay movie like Bad Boys. This has a Hurt Locker indie type feel at times but also a adventure movie mixed with war and it does work surpisingly well by the end. It has great direction too. Anyone who is a fan of war movies, unorthodox adventures, the director or any actors in this should check this out.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

08/25/25

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rex w

"Three Kings" is an underrated gem.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/23/25

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Orion P

5 stars would have been on the table if it weren't for the football/helicopter scene. GREAT MOVIE, otherwise.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

05/27/25

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Faiz D

A disturbing yet funny war movie with a great message.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

05/13/25

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Audience Member

The death scene of mother was too much for this movie. Also, a few unbelievable scenes. Other than that worth a watch.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/25

Full Review

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David O. Russell

Director

George Clooney

Maj. Archie Gates

Mark Wahlberg

Sfc. Troy Barlow

Ice Cube

SSgt. Chief Elgin

Spike Jonze

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Nora Dunn

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Synopsis

Just after the end of the Gulf War, four American soldiers decide to steal a cache of Saddam Hussein's hidden gold. Led by Sergeant Major Archie Gates, three of the men are rescued by rebels, but Sergeant Troy Barlow is captured and tortured by Iraqi intelligence. The Iraqi rebels beg for the American trio to help fight against the impending arrival of Hussein's Elite Guard. The men agree to fight in return for help rescuing Troy.

Director: David O. Russell
Producer: Charles Roven, Edward L. McDonnell, Paul Junger Witt
Screenwriter: David O. Russell, John Ridley
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Production Co: Warner Brothers, Atlas Entertainment
Rating: R
Genre: War, Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 1, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2008
Box Office (Gross USA): $60.7M
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Surround

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