Three Kings
User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 62 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 62
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 62
  3. Negative: 5 out of 62

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  1. JimH.
    May 7, 2006
    9
    I just watched this for the second time (2006) against the backdrop of current events (ie. resistance to, support for ongoing war vs. terror). Yoon C (and detractors among the metacritics), while your comments are intelligent and incisive, I would argue that this movie is great precisely because it plays (and I mean, plays) along all those lines without telling you what to think. If anything it shows that all people's opinions are ridiculous and it imposes none of its own. It sounds to me like you are looking for a movie to tell you what to think of war in Iraq (that is, to tell you "war is hell" or something like that - the message you are expecting becausue you've already heard it in other movies and novels). Whatever else you say about this, it's a war movie unlike any other. It rocks first and foremost, but it also socks and it even (dare I say) does make you think. And it's still relevant seven years later, in ways that it was not when it was made. That anticipatory quality makes it much more artful than the huge majority of "deep" arthouse movies with a moral agenda. Maybe the best thing about it is that it gets the Schwarzenegger-set to watch and rewatch a movie where a child cries over her dead mother, where men are torn by morally ambiguity, where in the end we are at least given an inkling of how hard it is to "do the right thing."… Expand
  2. KennedyB.
    Jun 13, 2006
    10
    The 3rd best film of 1999(next to American Beauty and Magnolia).
  3. chicagopiano
    Oct 21, 2011
    10
    Not for those who don't like politics. I enjoyed the original story, the acting was alright and it has just enough action to keep things exciting. Definitely worth watching, I would say not a popcorn flick.
  4. TheGilbertMulroneycakesDepartment
    Dec 9, 2002
    10
    Ha! Great little movie, though (say it with me) "Not For Everyone"! George keeps his film career on track after the false starts of "The Peacemaker" and "Batman And (urgh) Robin". And keep a lookout for David O. in the future. With your eyes. And faces.
  5. NetStarG.
    May 4, 2003
    9
    Spike Jonze was in this one. Thats really cool in many ways.
  6. ConorO'Rourke
    Jan 1, 2002
    10
    A wonderful and original use of camera shows that originality still exists within Hollywood. The story makes ironically clear the question of war and the role the media now plays in it.
  7. [Anonymous]
    Feb 16, 2002
    10
    Amazing.
  8. AndrewZ.
    May 29, 2003
    10
    A hot-shot action movie. liked the plot and overall situation of what was going on. lots of blood and gore, as well as gun fights and hilarious situations. would recommend this movie to anyone that wants to have a good time.
  9. JasonD.
    Mar 29, 2001
    10
    In a year that actually had a few good movies (Malkovich, American Beauty, etc.), Three Kings stood out as the best.
  10. sethw
    Nov 7, 2005
    9
    Damn good movie. interesting and different. probably to much so for some people.
  11. PaulaW.
    Nov 12, 2001
    9
    At the end of the Gulf War, a trio of soldiers led by George Clooney goes on a half-cocked expedition after a supposed cache of Iraqi gold, and finds out just what and whom they have been shooting at all along. If you wonder what the title means, the runty, none-too-swift private played by Spike Jonze helpfully clarifies when he sings "We three kings are stealing the gold." Fine acting, a moral center and dazzling, bleached-out cinematography, feverishly paced. Absolutely worth your while.… Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
82 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 31 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Owen Gleiberman
    75
    So overstuffed with random fireworks that despite its politics, it's easy to imagine the film getting a four-star rave from Bush or Saddam.
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  2. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Kenneth Turan
    90
    Off-and-on cynical and sentimental, Russell's darkly comic tale shows how much can be done with familiar material when you're burning to do things differently and have the gifts to pull that off.
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  3. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Susan Wloszczyna
    75
    Visual pyrotechnics and dark humor aside, Three Kings rules because it dares to dig for such truths, whether banal or significant.
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