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.

Two war dramas directed by Clint Eastwood. 'Flags of Our Fathers' (2006) is based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Powers. In February 1945, even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. But the surviving flag raisers had no interest in being held up as symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were fighting and dying without fanfare or glory. 'Letters from Iwo Jima' (2006) is based on the book 'Picture Letters from Commander in Chief' by Tadamichi Kuribayashi. The island of Iwo Jima stands between the American military force and the home islands of Japan. Therefore the Imperial Japanese Army is desperate to prevent it from falling into American hands and providing a launching point for an invasion of Japan. General Tadamichi Kuribayashi (Ken Watanabe) is given command of the forces on the island and sets out to prepare for the imminent attack. General Kuribayashi, however, does not favour the rigid traditional approach recommended by his subordinates, and resentment and resistance fester among his staff.

The academy Award-winning team of Tom Hanks and director Robert Zemeckis reunite for 'The Polar Express', an inspiring adventure based on the beloved children's book by Chris Van Allsburg. Late on Christmas Eve night, a boy (Daryl Sabara) lies in bed hoping to hear the sound of reindeer bells from Santa's sleigh. When to his surprise, a steam engine's roar and whistle can be heard outside his window. The conductor (Hanks) invites him on board to take an extraordinary journey to the North Pole with many other pajama-clad children. There, he receives an extraordinary gift only those who still believe in Santa can experience.

Systems engineer Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) says goodbye to his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) and heads off on a flight to South America. En route the plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean, leaving Chuck as its only survivor. Luckily, there is an uninhabited island nearby and Chuck manages to swim to safety. After a failed attempt to escape on an inflatable raft, Chuck accepts that he is unlikely to get back to civilisation and begins to make the most of what he has around him. Four years later he is still on the island, having adapted extremely well to his new environment, but decides the time is right to make another attempt at the long journey home and sets off for a remarkable adventure on a makeshift wooden raft.

Clint Eastwood's first half of the Iwo Jima saga. Based on the book by James Bradley and Ron Powers, it is February 1945, and even as victory in Europe was finally within reach, the war in the Pacific raged on. One of the most crucial and bloodiest battles of the war was the struggle for the island of Iwo Jima, which culminated with what would become one of the most iconic images in history: five Marines and a Navy corpsman raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. But the surviving flag raisers had no interest in being held up as symbols and did not consider themselves heroes; they wanted only to stay on the front with their brothers in arms who were fighting and dying without fanfare or glory.

Systems engineer Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) says goodbye to his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) and heads off on a flight to South America. En route the plane crashes into the Pacific Ocean, leaving Chuck as its only survivor. Luckily, there is an uninhabited island nearby and Chuck manages to swim to safety. After a failed attempt to escape on an inflatable raft, Chuck accepts that he is unlikely to get back to civilisation and begins to make the most of what he has around him. Four years later he is still on the island, having adapted extremely well to his new environment, but decides the time is right to make another attempt at the long journey home and sets off for a remarkable adventure on a makeshift wooden raft.