Three Kings (1999)

Set during the 1991 uprisings in Iraq against Saddam Hussein following the end of the 1st Gulf War, Three Kings is a comical action war film written and directed by David O. Russell from a story by John Ridley.

In the immediate aftermath of the Persian Gulf War American soldiers find a map on an Iraqi officer that discloses the way to a bunker near Karbala, which supposedly contains a huge amount of gold and treasures stolen from Kuwait by the Iraqis. So Major Archie Gates close to retirement, Sergeant Troy Barlow, a new father, and Chief Elgin, on a four-month “vacation” from Detroit, set off to find the gold and go home rich.

When they arrive at the site, they not only find the gold, but as well civilians who have been encouraged by the US government to rise up and fight Saddam Hussein, but are now facing execution as the US refuses any support. This incident creates a crisis of conscience for the American soldiers and they have to rethink their values and priorities.

The film was highly praised after his first release in 1999 and was re-released in 2004 with Soldiers Pay, a short documentary about the Iraq War, added.