MovieChat Forums > The Kingdom (2007) Discussion > Fantastic film...WISH THEY DID THE ORIGI...

Fantastic film...WISH THEY DID THE ORIGINAL ENDING!!

posted 14 years ago by glenavyhotel
15 replies | jump to latest

I really enjoyed this film and cannot understand why the low rating...however that is not why I write, please please listen to the directors commentary as he gives such a good insight into the ending they wanted to put into the film and I believe it is a true tragedy they didn't put in the original ending as I'm sure it would have made this film worthy of standing with the best, shame American audiences are to sensitive and influential and need a happy ending all the time, unlike what a true ending would make them feel, no doubt a true ending would be more powerful and too outrageous for the fast-food cliche brainwashed suburbanites, but remember that is only my opinion, you don't have to agree...just frustrated that although the ending was good the original would have been better!!
I wont say what it is in this post you will have to find the end out for yourself!!!

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[–] deltajvliet 14 years ago

Nobody's going to look it up or listen to the commentary. I would have read it in your post but I guess now I'll never know.

Aim for the bushes.

[–] glenavyhotel 14 years ago

Nah Deltajvliet,
Just you who wont take the time to find out...kinda like the case in "Pulp Fiction" but in this film, it is there but only if you listen...sigh a good example of what I was saying in original post regarding fastfood cliche type lives, someone who needs to be told everything with out trying to find out for themselves, hmmm poor character and lazy I bet!!

Hi I'm Twice Nightly! Tonight's news...
Is a severed foot an alternate stocking filler?

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[–] bobandelaine-1 13 years ago

The scene that wasn't used in the end was never shot.

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[–] scottarnold 14 years ago

I agree that this thread should describe the originally scripted ending, so here it is as commented by Peter Berg (SPOILER ALERT!):

"In the original draft, at this moment, when Jamie went to say good bye Jamie hugged him and he realized that Ali [Suliman] was carrying a bomb on him and the character of Haytham detonated the bomb and the entire team was killed and it was a very powerful ending… At the end we decided it was just too much and would be hard for anyone to recover from so we changed it."

I found this at another site online, so it's not first-hand verified.

[–] bobandelaine-1 13 years ago

This is exactly right!

[–] bobandelaine-1 13 years ago

I know what ending they wanted to use instead of the one they did but the people who financed the project wouldn't allow it. It wouldn't have been a happy ending, really a shocker.

[–] marijuano187 13 years ago

http://www.beyondhollywood.com/peter-berg-talks-about-the-kingdoms-unfilmed-ending/

Says Berg about the (never filmed) ending:

“In the original script by Matt Carnahan, who is a GENIUS, the character of Haytham was much more sort of politically schizophrenic. He was attempting to find a moderate lifestyle. So even though his brother killed in Iraq and his father was an extremist; he was trying to go the other way. So during the course of the film we were tracking his sort of cracking with this internal conflict. And at the end of the film, when the Americans go to say goodbye, and they were shaking his hand, Chris Cooper’s character went to give him a hug and realized he had a bomb on him, and [Haytham] detonated it and blew up the entire team! Everyone died! And so I read it in the middle of the night and I was like “Oh man…”, and I called Michael Mann and he was like “I just read it!” And I’m like “Well… can we do it?” And he said “NO!” (laughs) And this is Michael Mann*, right? And then I got the call from the president of Universal the next morning and she’s like ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND? Not in my studio!” (laughs again)

[–] super16g 14 years ago

I'm tired of the constant self righteous drivel from people who generalize an entire population for only being able to stomach a happy ending. Especially those who won't even explain what they are talking about. As if the ending we got was all cupcakes and rainbows with Faris dying and all.

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[–] Dudley_Dawson 14 years ago

Just google it.

I think that original ending would have been terrible. I was actually really impressed at the ending they did have. When he asked what was whipsered I thought it would be some sappy crap about peace but when they cut to the Saudi girl, the message was quite powerful and really hit me. It points the fingers at both.

The original ending sounds like it would just be an extra aha moment and not right for the film.

This is what ruined The Departed for me. 10 different people doing an "A-ha" moment right in a row.

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