October 3, 1999 -- On the surface, "Three Kings" looks like a remake of "Kelly's Heroes" because the plot is about the same, but it is a curious mixture of cynicism and humanity. If anything, "Kelly's Heroes" was more cynical, and goofy.

George Clooney ("Out of Sight") stars as Archie Gates, an officer who sees a way to make a big score when he puts together some information overheard from a reporter with a rump map (you have to see this). He and his fellow conspirators, Troy Barlow (Mark Wahlberg of "Boogie Nights" and Chief Elgin (Ice Cube of "Anaconda") and the dim-witted Vig (Spike Jonze of "The Game") set off to liberate some Kuwaiti gold from the Iraquis at the end of the Gulf War.

True to Murphy's law, everything that can go wrong in this operation does go wrong. The relationship between this renegade band of crooks and the Iraqui Army is constantly shifting and the relationship between the group and the Iraqui resistance fighters is shaky too. All of this adds up to a fine example of the utter chaos of war.

The photography and editing of this film are outstanding. There are stunning visual effects. The interior bile shot of the human gut being pierced by a bullet is enough to take the romance of war for even the most gung-ho nut. There are lots of very effective flashbacks and the outdoor cinematography by Newton Thomas Sigel is refreshingly crisp. The film looks great.

Clooney gives another great performance in this film as the cynical, yet humane leader of this rag-tag group of mercenaries. Wahlberg is also good as a man torn between what he thinks is the smart thing to do and the right thing to do. Director and co-writer, David O. Russell ("Spanking the Monkey"), with writer John Ridley ("U Turn"), make all the right moves with the plot, stringing it out to its logical conclusion.

I really have no idea if the premise of the film is historically correct, but I don't think it matters. One thing for sure is that war, in this case, the aftermath of war, is hell and this movie makes a strong case for that truism. This film rates an A.

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