Everything moves so much and so fast that the movie seems both gutsy and brainy. But the main strategy is to keep viewers' pulses racing so they concentrate on the action, not the message.
– Richard Corliss,
TIME Magazine,
2 Oct 2007
rotten:
A terrifically stupid film. Dumb, dumb, dumb.
– Dave Calhoun,
Time Out,
5 Oct 2007
fresh:
Sensationally directed by Peter Berg.
– David Edelstein,
New York Magazine/Vulture,
6 Oct 2007
fresh:
When it's got the pedal to the metal, which is a substantial fraction of the running time, The Kingdom delivers the goods.
– Jonathan F. Richards,
Film.com,
7 Oct 2007
rotten:
The Kingdom works as an exotic action thriller, but its politics are so choked on checks and balances it cancels itself out.