Before Ocean's Eleven, George Clooney Starred In A Heist Movie With A 94% Rotten Tomatoes Score

When George Clooney left "ER" to focus on his film career, it didn't immediately seem apparent that it was a smart move for the actor, given those rough first few years of his big screen output. He eventually did just fine for himself, becoming not only a frequent star of critically acclaimed, Oscar-winning films, but also big budget crowd-pleasers like "Ocean's Eleven" and its sequels. Those are the movies that people go to when they think of George Clooney and heist films, but they weren't his first experience with that genre either.

Though it was a really, really tense production — something of a trend for movies written and directed by David O. Russell — "Three Kings" was a big hit, as well as one of Clooney's first movies to bring equally strong review scores and box office receipts. In it, Clooney plays one of a small group of U.S. Army soldiers in the Gulf War — two others of whom are played by Ice Cube and Mark Wahlberg — who decide to help themselves to a stash of gold bullion that they discover hidden in a bunker. But the heist isn't nearly as simple as they hoped it would be, and the soldiers soon find themselves in a much more dangerous situation. 

Considering it takes two hands to count the number of movies that George Clooney has starred in which were nominated for a best picture Oscar, it's easy to assume that movies like "Three Kings" would get lost deep down in the list of his most critically acclaimed film work. On the contrary, "Three Kings" and its 94% certified fresh Rotten Tomatoes score finds itself near the top of said list — in the No. 3 spot among all theatrically-released films he appears in as an actor, in fact. That's extremely impressive given his filmography and how many highly acclaimed and heavily awarded movies he has starred in.

As mentioned, Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube are also along for the ride in "Three Kings," representing an important hit at a pivotal moment in their respective movie careers as well. The film also features one of the most prominent acting performances to date by rotten movie-proof director Spike Jonze, at least in terms of projects he himself didn't helm. Rounding out the stacked cast are Judy Greer, Cliff Curtis, Alia Shawkat, Mykelti Williamson, Jamie Kennedy, Nora Dunn, and even comedian Jim Gaffigan in one of his very first acting roles — not quite an "Ocean's Eleven"-style ensemble, but enough to make "Three Kings" a must-see heist movie.