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Three Kings

Play trailer Poster for Three Kings R Released Oct 1, 1999 1h 55m War Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist 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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Three Kings

Three Kings

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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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Critics Reviews

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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 Full Review 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 Full Review Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader A damning yet idealistic satire about the motives behind U.S. foreign policy. Aug 25, 2008 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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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 Full Review rex w "Three Kings" is an underrated gem. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 07/23/25 Full Review 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 Full Review Faiz D A disturbing yet funny war movie with a great message. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/13/25 Full Review 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 Audience Member I feel for the hype just as many did seeing the stars of the POS film. Not funny. Not accurate. Not worth writing a review over. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 12/06/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Three Kings

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Movie Info

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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