One of a number of new films devoted to one or another aspect of the continuing chaos in the Middle East, "The Kingdom" reflects something of the reality of the latest headlines rather than the delusions of the current administration. Instead of Iraq or Afghanistan or the enticing promise of an invasion of Iran or Syria, the movie deals with events within the borders of one of our country's alleged allies, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which, thanks to its ties to the Bush family and the power of Aramco, the Arabian American oil cartel, the United States would never invade.

The movie begins with a rapid montage of footage from newsreels stretching back more than 70 years, recapitulating the history of that invented country, transformed from a vast desert into a purported independent kingdom after World War I because of its oil and the influence of the legendary Lawrence of Arabia. It then reminds us that 15 of the 19 hijackers responsible for the tragedy of September 11, 2001 were Saudis, a fact that somehow caused the Bush administration to invade Iraq. After that introduction, the film presents the central incident that precipitates the action-packed plot, the raid on an American compound in Riyadh by armed men dressed in police uniforms, who detonate two powerful bombs, just the sort of attack shown virtually every night on the evening news: if it bleeds, it leads.

To track down the bombers, the FBI mobilizes a team of specialists, experts in explosives, forensic pathology, interrogation, Arabic, etc., led by Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx), who lost a friend and fellow agent in the attack. When the team arrives in Saudi Arabia, they discover that the despotic and corrupt administration, with no particular love for foreigners, regards them as intruders; the Saudis offer only minimal cooperation and in fact attempt to obstruct the investigation at every step of the way.

The film concentrates for much of its length on the intrinsically fascinating procedures the team members follow to reconstruct the scene of the bombing and determine exactly the components of the explosive. The Saudi government and its collaborators in the American embassy, apparently uninterested in the truth and happy to frame a few scapegoats, impose a rigid deadline on the team; consequently Fleury must himself take some drastic measures in hunting down the culprits, which means that his share of the mystery and the manhunt involves a more physical than cerebral approach. His investigation leads him into violent and dangerous situations, ultimately into those staples of the action flick, car chases and shootouts.

Despite the powerful commitment of the entire team to its difficult and dangerous quest, "The Kingdom" mostly keeps its emotions on the surface, sacrificing conviction for rapid, jumpy pacing and slam-bang action. Beyond participating in the shouting and the shooting, the cast hardly performs more than a dutiful fulfillment of their functions as expert investigators, rarely distinguishing their personalities from their particular jobs.

A couple of supporting players contribute the only memorable performances. In a surprisingly small role Chris Cooper demonstrates once again his ability to impart individuality with a few gestures, an ironic half-smile, and that commanding nasal rasp. As Jamie Foxx's Saudi interpreter and guide, a police colonel named Faris Al Ghazi, Ashraf Barhom suggests greater depth and meaning than anyone else, including Jamie Foxx, as well as hints of a back story more affecting for its reticence than its revelation.

The director thickens and complicates the movie's essentially simple plot by constantly cutting from one parallel action to another, shooting the pathologist's autopsy, then jumping to the excavation of the bomb crater, then to Fleury's search for a kidnapped member of the team, and so forth. Although the practice provides both texture and rhythm, it also now and then seems an artificial method of creating confusion and tension. Most annoying, the tiresomely fashionable dependence on the hand-held camera makes the frame bounce incessantly and often for no reason but to manufacture still more fake, ephemeral excitement. "The Kingdom" underlines one truth, however, that emerges from all the action and all the nervous energy - the conflict in the movie will go on forever.

The Kingdom

(R) DIRECTED BY PETER BERG

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