By Chris Alexis

The Kingdom reminded me a lot of The Bourne Ultimatum.

No, it doesn’t star Matt Damon. No government assassins with amnesia here.

Like Ultimatum, this movie made me dizzy and nauseous watching it. It uses the same style of “shaky cam” that is supposed to give it more of a “documentary” feel to it. The camera is constantly moving around, like an NYPD Blue episode – only worse. But if The Bourne Ultimatum didn’t make you feel ill, you should be fine with this one.

The story revolves around four FBI agents who travel to Saudi Arabia after an American compound is bombed by terrorists. Due to political reasons, there are a lot of forces working on keeping them from arriving, and even once they get there, everyone’s trying to get them out.

This is very much a detective story. From gathering clues, to interviewing witnesses, there’s a tinge of Law and Order to this movie.

We see each agent (played by Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Chris Cooper and Jason Bateman) do their particular task in helping solve the crime…well, I’m still not sure what Bateman’s character did for the team, besides complain a lot.

The opening credits were pretty cool, and deserve a special mention. Director Peter Berg gives us a quick history lesson about Saudi Arabia’s oil and the relationship it has with the United States. It actually does help the audience relate to the story a little more.

But overall, the movie actually kind of bored me a little. For a movie that claims to be a dramatic thriller, that isn’t a good sign. In fact, I found myself trying to get through it more than anything as the movie went on.

If you want action, see 3:10 to Yuma. If you want drama, watch Eastern Promises.

And if you do see this film, I’d recommend waiting until DVD.

It’s a lot harder to get motion sickness that way.