A POTTED history of the Middle Eastern situation unfolds over the opening credits.

The film ends with a blistering, violent, all guns blazing shootout. And there's the dilemma of The Kingdom in a nutshell - it wants to be both a relevant political thriller and a gung ho action movie. The combination left me feeling uneasy despite the breathtaking execution of the action scenes.

The name of Michael Mann as producer ensures a certain integrity, although director Peter Berg fails to make the humans as compelling as the gunplay. Hundreds of American oil company workers and their families are killed and wounded in a suicide bombing attack on a housing compound in Saudi Arabia.

The Saudis insist it's a local crime, but the FBI send in Foxx's special agent and his team. Only co-operation from the Saudi colonel (Aghraf Barhom) assigned to protect them, enables them to act like CSI investigators and track down the terrorists and then eliminate them. Foxx exerts a natural leading man authority as the tough, but kind to children FBI agent, forming a respectful relationship with Barhom's military man. Jennifer Garner doesn't convince for a minute as a lollipop-sucking forensics examiner and the excellent Chris Cooper is frankly wasted as a wise old explosives expert. See it for the action not the politicial elements.

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Chris Cooper, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, Jeremy Piven, Danny Huston, Richard Jenkins Running time: 110 mins
Rating: Three stars