The Kingdom is one of many movies that’s taken over theaters since it became clear to most of the country that the war on terror isn’t going to be easily won. It’s by far the best of that depressing, sand-soaked group; mixing action and intentionally obvious political relevance together in a movie that’s part police procedural, part military action, and all smarts.

It starts with an over the opening credits recap of the Middle East’s history, and Saudi Arabia’s in particular. This could have been a boring recitation of historical facts, but it sets intense, action movie music and uses artistic, special effects driven animation to dole it out. As a result, a bunch of boring facts turns out to be the perfect introduction to the film, setting the stage not only for what’s about to happen in the movie but for what’s happening in the world right now. It instantly grounds the movie in reality, and when those facts are followed by a modern-day attack on a heavily guarded American housing compound in Saudi Arabia, you know this movie is real and the brutal terrorist attack you’ve just witnessed is something that could happen tomorrow, or might even be happening right now.

From then, the movie takes on frighteningly real dimensions. It’s as if you’re watching a film about an event that has actually happened, rather than a fictional creation about something that could. Whether or not the terrorist attack in The Kingdom is real becomes irrelevant, since you know you’re watching a movie about the realities of the Middle East situation, regardless of whether the film uses a fictional premise to illustrate it.

One of the few people in the movie to watch is Col. Al-Ghazi, a dedicated, high-ranking police official assigned to protect them. He’s played by mostly unknown actor Ashraf Barhom as a man dedicated to justice. Politics mean nothing to him, his life is devoted to the single-minded pursuit of punishing the kinds of people who would willingly murder innocent women and children. Fleury senses he’s a man that can be trusted and the real story of the film is the friendship that builds between them as they struggle to do their jobs. Ashraf’s performance as Al-Ghazi is nothing short of brilliant, he creates a character both sympathetic and dangerous, becoming a much needed face for more moderate Saudi people. The film’s worth seeing just for him, and he completely overshadows the otherwise solid performances of veteran actors like Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and Chris Cooper.

The Kingdom is gripping, intense, and ultimately utterly depressing. That makes sense, since that seems to sum up the current, modern political situation we’re mired in. It takes us straight into the heart of the Middle East problem and though the good guys may win the smaller battles in his movie the film builds so much complication around them that it’s clear there’s no real victory here or anywhere. That’s as it should be, since the reality of the region’s situation is that nobody has any answers. The action is intense and the performances are brilliant, but whether or not Fleury gets his man in the end doesn’t matter; the important thing is that by the time you leave the theater you’ll feel as if you’ve been there with them and maybe, just maybe have some idea of what we’re in for over there.