As the Gulf War ends, a group of soldiers find out that Saddam has a bunker full of gold so they decide to steal the gold before they are shipped out.

As I walked into this film I was expecting a remake of the 1970 classic Clint Eastwood movie "Kelly's Heroes" where a group of misfits steal gold from the Nazi's during World War Two. But I was pleasantly surprised by the look of the film. The effect is the over-exposure and almost bleaching of the film. The effect makes the film look like the television footage we saw during the actual conflict. George Clooney reminded me a lot of a young Clint Eastwood in some scenes but this definitely wasn't a retelling of "Kelly's Heroes".

The opening and first half hour of the movie explores and dissects the arrogance of Americans during the conflict. We have misbehaving soldiers ignoring orders, attaching C4 to a Nerf football, and even an exploding cow. But it's a single image that changes the whole direction and feel of the film. This image is one of the most gut-wrenching images warfare can expose. The image's impact is needed or we wouldn't see where this film is leading. What's brilliant about "Three Kings" isn't the mix of action and humor but the issues it also addresses. It takes on the controversy of President Bush's decisions involving the conflict and the conflicts we have as people. The soldier's heart opens and we see that sometimes a greater good isn't always something we can handle.

(4 of 5) So Says the Soothsayer.