Once the FBI team is unleashed, things really start to happen. I enjoyed the CSI moments of Chris Cooper’s Special Agent Grant Sykes displaying his demolitions knowledge when he unearths the actual vehicle that blew up in the protected compound. And I liked the way that Fleury worked to constantly include al-Ghazi in every discovery the team made at the proper time, while giving the Saudi Arabian officer credit for the discovery as well.

The kidnapping of one of the FBI team members initiates the final action sequence of the film. Those scenes are incredibly tense, and director Peter Berg makes the most of them. I felt like I was about to have an adrenaline meltdown waiting to see how the rescue attempt played out.

Jennifer Garner's character initially got a lot of attention for being a female in the Muslim culture. However, except for a few scenes, that never really went anywhere. Her character wasn’t really needed, and I didn’t know why someone as politically savvy as Fleury was would shoot himself in the foot like that. But I also know that Hollywood likes to put women in films, so that was a given.

I expected Garner to break out some serious Alias or Elektra moves at the end of the movie during the rescue attempt, but I was somewhat disappointed. I also realized that not being a martial arts star was true to her character, though. By that time, however, I was teetering on the edge of overwhelming anxiety about the fate of Jason Bateman’s character, and I figured the team needed every edge they could get.

The political message at the end of the film kind of spoiled things for me. In the end, nothing had been changed. The body count in the struggle had gone up, but neither side is going to give up. In fact, both sides have the same ideology, and that message ended up being something of a downer.

Overall, The Kingdom is a good thriller with plenty of action and tension. I enjoyed it for the most part, liked the dialogue and the character building between Foxx and Barhom, and agonized – as I was supposed to – during the bullet-riddled climax. Jamie Foxx is still on the move as a leading man and shows no signs of slowing down.