Opening scene from the new movie "Three Kings": U.S. soldiers idle in the Iraqi desert, waiting to go home now that a cease-fire has been declared in the 1991 Persian Gulf War. Suddenly, a lone Iraqi soldier approaches, waving his hands in surrender. The Americans wonder what they should do, but before they can decide, a violence-deprived private shoots the Iraqi in cold blood, then celebrates as the soldier dies.

Just another day in Hollywood, I groan mentally. And another chance to dehumanize the culture, politics and people of the Middle East.

So imagine my surprise when the George Clooney action film turns out to be one of Hollywood's best efforts yet at shedding light on the dire situation that still haunts the citizens of Iraq.

From the movie trailers, you may already know this much about the story: Three renegade U.S. soldiers decide that since Saddam Hussein's army stole millions in gold bullion from the Kuwaiti sheikhs, they had every right to steal it back -- and help themselves to most of it.

But the film is more than an excuse to blow up Humvees. In "Three Kings," Clooney, who plays an officer in the Special Forces, understands that Hussein's Republican Army is less worried about protecting Kuwaiti gold than it is about subduing civilian rebels.

Following the cease-fire in 1991, groups of villagers indeed formed rebel armies, emboldened by President George Bush's call for the Iraqi people to overthrow Hussein.

The rebels tried, at great human cost, only to realize that the United States was not going to back their uprising. Operation Desert Storm was over; the Americans were going home.

A job left undone?

What ensued was a war upon the people of Iraq, perpetrated by the Iraqi government. Civilians were herded, jailed, tortured and killed by Hussein's army.

In the film, the U.S. soldiers are witness to these atrocities, and begin to reassess their mission to steal the gold. Was it their duty to help the civilian refugees, or should they turn their backs to the suffering of the Iraqi people just as the American government had?

If you see "Three Kings," you will be entertained by the dark humor, the surreal cinematography and the nonstop action. But you also will connect with the human stories.

"I think that the sentiments that came out in some of the subplots in the film are probably true," says Mike Sarafa, an attorney and former aide to Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer.

Sarafa is Chaldean, an Iraqi Christian. He knows people who were refugees during the war. "There hasn't been a good explanation as to why the United States did not finish the job of going into Iraq and doing something about the government there."

Paying for dictator's sins

Nor do many people understand how the ongoing U.S. embargo against Iraq has made countless civilians suffer for the sins of a dictator. According to the United Nations, 4,500 Iraqi children under the age of 5 die monthly as a direct result of the embargo.

History suggests that at least one of the kings who brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus was probably from Mesopotamia -- what's now Iraq. In a nod to that noble history -- and to the idea that love is the true measure of wealth -- "Three Kings" sheds new light on the Persian Gulf War and the people it continues to affect.

For that I say, hurray for Hollywood.

To leave a message for DESIREE COOPER, call 313-222-6625 or e-mail her at cooper@freepress.com.

Comments? Questions? You can reach us at The Freep

All content © copyright 1999 Detroit Free Press and may not be republished without permission.