The Kingdom (2007)
When a terrorist bomb detonates inside a Western housing compound in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, an international incident is ignited. While diplomats slowly debate equations of territorialism, FBI Special Agent Ronald Fleury (Jamie Foxx) quickly assembles an elite team and negotiates a secret five-day trip into Saudi Arabia to locate the madman behind the bombing. Upon landing in the desert kingdom, however, Fleury and his team discover Saudi authorities suspicious and unwelcoming of American interlopers into what they consider a local matter. Hamstrung by protocol, and with the clock ticking on their five days, the FBI agents find their expertise worthless without the trust of their Saudi counterparts who want to locate the terrorist in their homeland on their own terms. Fleury's crew finds a like-minded partner in Saudi Police Captain Al-Ghazi (Ashraf Barhom), who helps them navigate royal politics and unlock the secrets of the crime scene and the workings of an extremist, hell bent on further destruction.

Jarhead (2006)
An adaptation of former Marine Anthony Swofford's Gulf War memoir. Young recruit Swofford (Jake Gyllenhaal) joins up with the US Marines (nicknamed 'Jarheads' because of their distinctive haircuts) on the eve of the 1990 Gulf War. After a brutal spell in boot camp, during which Swofford and his fellow recruits are systematically geared up for the conflict, the Marines are dispatched to the deserts of the Persian Gulf to take part in a war that sees them required to do very little in the way of fighting. Bored and frustrated in the middle of nowhere, the young soldiers resort to a macabre sense of humour as they wait for the war to happen to them.

Gary Ross directs this war drama inspired by the life of southern farmer Newton Knight, played by Matthew McConaughey. During the Civil War Knight flees from the battlefield after seeing the destruction of war when his son is killed and his wife and daughters are left starving and destitute. Gathering together other deserters, mainly poor farmers, Knight leads a rebellion against the Confederate Army and creates a free state. The cast also includes Keri Russell, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Sean Bridgers.

Liam Neeson stars in this sci-fi action blockbuster based loosely on the classic board game. When US Navy personnel are confronted by an unknown alien structure during war-game trials, they quickly realise the enormity of the threat facing them. As the aliens unleash a terrifying barrage of destructive force on the Earth's population, Admiral Shane (Neeson), captain of the USS John Paul Jones, finds himself caught up in the fight of his life as he leads a fleet of ships into battle against the seemingly invincible extraterrestrial armada.

Alexander Skarsgård, Taylor Kitsch and pop singer Rihanna co-star.