Saturday, September 29, 2007

Movie Review: The Kingdom (of moral equivalence)

 
Debbie Schlussel has the must-read review of the week.

Which of the following is true in real life?:

a) After the 1996 bombing of the Khobar Towers, The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia allowed a team of FBI agents into the country to investigate, a billionaire Saudi Prince helped the FBI extensively, and a Saudi police Colonel enthusiastically helped the FBI track down the terrorist murderers inside the Kingdom?;

b) An American woman--an FBI agent, no less--is allowed to roam and gallivant around Saudi Arabia in a very short-sleeved tight T-shirt, bearing all of her arms, and without anything covering her long, flowing hair . . . and she carries a machine gun in the process?;

c) A Jewish man--an American FBI agent, no less--is allowed into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that his grandmother lives in Israel, and he has three stamps from Israel in his passport from three separate trips to visit her there. When asked whether he's "got a problem with that," a Saudi police Colonel says, "It is not a concern," and waves the Jewish-American with the Israeli stamps in his passport into the Kingdom...?;

d) Only a distinct, small group of Saudi Arabians are Wahhabis, with the rest being law-abiding moderate Muslims running and living in the Kingdom?;

e) The FBI Director will not pander to Muslims and tells off the U.S. Attorney General about it, saying "We won't cry uncle," when one of his agents is killed in a Saudi terrorist attack. He tells the pro-Saudi AG, "The end is coming no matter what. The only thing that matters is if you go out on your feet or on your knees." He insists on sending his men inside the Kingdom to investigate, and to get there, he has his top agent (Jamie Foxx) blackmail and threaten a Saudi Prince and Ambassador...?

Which if these five things is true in real life? Which would actually or has actually happened?

If you answered, "None of the above," then you are cleared to see "The Kingdom."

Read it all.

No comments: