The Kingdom
Warning: *spoilers!*
Peter Berg’s The Kingdom is an action procedural which tries also to be a lesson in cross-cultural tolerance. Released in 2007, we wonder if this film makes the same amount of sense after ten years. The film follows an FBI team which travels to infiltrate and find a terrorist cell in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia following an attack killing many American citizens (as well as fellow FBI agent). If art is an imitation of life, have we moved on in the last ten years, or does this remain salient?
Listen now for a conversation on East/West cultural understanding, terrorism, FBI interaction with local law enforcement across the world, representation, and what remains universal in this film and how audiences have changed in the last 10 years.
Featuring Alessandro Ago, Deirdre Fike, Jeremiah O’Brian, Erroll Southers, and Ehsan Zaffar
To listen to the Price Projection Room discussion of The Kingdom click the orange arrow in the Soundcloud player at the top of this post. Or download and subscribe through Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, or Google Play.
Follow us on Twitter!
@AlessandroAgo, @BedrosianCenter, @DeirdreFike, @jobrian4life, @esouthersHVE, @Ezaffar
Links and related reading/listening …
USC Price convenes LA County’s seven female police chiefs, who share personal, career insights
Rural Divide, by Jose A. DelReal and Scott Clement
FBI “go teams”
My Dad Rocky: A Hero’s Journey | Jeremiah O’Brian | TEDxUSC
US arms sales to Saudi Arabia history
War Dogs
FBILA Assistant Director in Charge Deirdre Fike breaking fast with community partners at King Fahad Mosque in celebration of #Ramadan. pic.twitter.com/AJtmJxlhZE
— FBI LosAngeles (@FBILosAngeles) June 21, 2017
What to read/watch next …
Zero Dark Thirty
13 Hours
Three Kings
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)
The Reluctant Fundamentalist (novel)
Let us know what you think of the film and our conversation at Facebook or Twitter.
This podcast is sponsored by Price Video Services and USC Bedrosian Center,
and continues our ongoing efforts to bring policy and its impact into the public discourse.
Special thanks to Dean Jack Knott, USC Price; Dean David Bridel, USC School of Dramatic Arts; and Dean Elizabeth Daley, USC Cinematic Arts for their support of this interdisciplinary conversation.
This podcast was produced by Aubrey Hicks and Jonathan Schwartz, recorded and mixed by Corey Hedden.
