The other night we went to the movies for the first time in a couple of months and saw The Kingdom. You know, the one that deals with the aftermath of a terrorist attack on some American civilians in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Other than hitting a little close to home it's a pretty good movie.

My issues with it stem mostly from the fact that first and foremost it's an action movie. See, it's based in reality - or at least the hyper-reality - of oil, Osama bin Laden, Western values, and how it all comes to a head in the GCC.

In fact, the opening title sequence is just about the most fantastic bit of film I've seen since ... jeesh, I don't know how long. It sets up the backstory, from the founding of Saudi Arabia in 1932 up through September 11, 2001 in this amazing montage of graphics and real footage. By far the best movie opening in a long, long time.

But then by the end the movie degrades into a machine-gun v. rocket launcher cliche that even Arnold Schwarzenegger would be embarrassed of.

Of course, I'm going to have a different view of this movie than most Americans. And maybe that's what they want, another action movie where the good guys win. But I was kind of hoping for something else - not really another Syriana, but something with at least little more substance.

I mean, we never really find out "why" the bad guy is bad. He's not a crazy recluse like the Unabomber living in a remote cabin in Montana or Osama bin Laden in the Tora Bora mountains in Afghanistan. I mean, not to give it all away, but it seems like he has a lot to lose. I just want to know "why"!

Anyway, I still think people should see the movie, don't get me wrong. Oh, and it was filmed in Abu Dhabi, and while it doesn't really look a whole-lot like Dubai, there are some similarities. So that's something.

Here's the opening title sequence which is just amazing: