So this weeks is a bit of a Marky
Mark classic. It hit the cinemas in 1999, which makes it over 10 years old and
therefore in my mind can be classed as a classic. Also a classic for its
timing. A film set in the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and released 4
years before Bush’s and Blair’s invasion of Iraq in 2003.
The film is an action packed
comical adventure in which 4 soldiers embark on a journey to steal Kuwaiti gold
from Saddam’s army in a village just outside of Kabala. Mark Wahlberg plays a
Troy Barlow, who on a search of Iraqi prisoners finds a treasure map wedged
between the bum cheeks of a prisoner. Troy takes it to his good friend Chief
Elgin, played by Ice Cube and the two of them begin to come up with a plan to
get the gold but before they can George Clooney, as Archie Gates, wastes no
time in taking charge of the opportunity and the Three Kings. are born.
The three of them, with Marky Mark’s
shadow Conrad Vig in toe, head off with dreams of being rich. However, when they
find what they are looking for necessity dictates that their selfish incentives
must turn in to more selfless ones. Through the witty jokes an the shambolic
heist the thieves become saints as they help refugees escape the butchery of Saddam’s
army.
The light hearted action holds a
more serious undertone with all questioning why the Americans were ever present
in the conflict and during the torture of Marky Mark the producers answer is
clearly provided as Oil is poured down his throat with the aid of Western
capitalist goods. Saddam’s army even use chemical weapons of destruction, which
prove not to be very lethal for the victims who all survive the attack and with
a strange twist the film manages to predict the future that at the time had not
happened yet.
The film ends with the refugees
being helped over the border by the Three Kings who are prevented from doing so
by the American army leaving the Iraqi refugees helpless. That is until Archie
Gates reveals they know where the Kuwaiti gold is. This persuades the Americans
to help the refugees but reminds the viewer that they were only willing to do
so when money is in sight.
The film does make it clear that
Iraq returned most of the gold to Kuwait, suggesting that some went missing
over the Iranian border and possibly in the pockets of the Three Kings. But
really the film leaves you with one question; what was the point of it all?
What was the point of the American presence in the first Persian Gulf War and
what really was the point of the Iraq war in 2003?
So for the reason of a film that
came out in 1999 which managed to question the reasons of both of the wars
involving Iraq, one that happened before and one that happened afterwards, The
Cure to the World gives Three Kings a five out of five star rating.
For other Marky Mark films see:
Four Brothers
Contraband http://thecuretotheworld.blogspot.co.uk/2013/10/marky-mark-mondays-contraband.html
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