Pardon us for seeming a wee bit skeptical, but "Three Kings," the latest film from oddball auteur David O. Russell, seems to be stirring up more bizarre advance pub than could be possible without some savvy calculation on the part of the filmmakers. After all, Russell leapt to fame on just this sort of PR, mildly shocking the world with his "Spanking the Monkey" debut that included not just the titular masturbatory act, but some mother-son loving to boot.

Shall we make ourselves complicit in what we assume to be minor publicity stunts by recounting them? It appears to be the American way. So here we go...

Did you hear that Russell actually had bullets pumped into a real, live cadaver -- well, real anyway -- used in a scene showing the effects of gunfire on the human body? Apparently, there's a law-enforcement official in Arizona who's got his knickers in a twist over what's purported to be a Hollywood first. Oh, wait... Turns out the stiff tiff was all just a big, publicity-generating mistake.

And were you aware that Warner Bros. was extremely reluctant to greenlight a film that indicted America's handling of the Gulf War? But that star George Clooney -- taking a role the writer had intended for Clint Eastwood -- insisted, by God, that this important war satire be made?

Of course, you must have heard that the Council on American-Islamic Relations caught wind -- from the studio -- that some of the U.S. soldier characters use terms such as "towel head" to describe the Iraqi enemy? It's all right, though, the movie's official site promises -- those racist epithets merely show how unenlightened some of the troops were about Middle Eastern peoples before they spent some not-so-quality time in the region.

The final prerelease push came in the form of a report that Warner will take the "unprecedented move" of selling the "Three Kings" soundtrack only online -- at least for a few months. A downloadable movie album featuring Public Enemy alongside the Beach Boys and, ahem, Rare Earth is bound to sell like cyber-hotcakes.

Through the thick publicity haze, however, we spy a "M.A.S.H.," or "Kelly's Heroes" -style "war dramedy" with moral backbone and a thrilling core story about a group of soldiers -- including Clooney, Marky Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube -- out to loot a cache of gold Saddam had earlier looted from Kuwait. Fake cadavers and liberal politics aside, it sounds like a hoot to us. We just hope Russell got the gunplay right this time. Frank Sennett

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ROYAL FLUSH
"Three Kings" is an antiwar epic to savor

BEARING GIFTS
Hollywood gets uncharacteristically smart with "Three Kings" and "American Beauty"

LOVING THE MAN IN UNIFORM
"Three Kings" boosts George Clooney's bid for megastardom

APOCALYPSE WOW
"Three Kings" wrestles with Desert Storm's slippery meaning as a television war

ROYAL TREATMENT
David O. Russell combines indie cred with studio backing in flawed-but-fascinating "Three Kings"

KINGS OVER JACK
"Three Kings" matches the Gulf War in flashy style, questionable substance

DETHRONED
A mishmash of action and moral messages, "Three Kings" doesn't quite add up

SEARCHING FOR GOLD
"Three Kings" provides the long-sought link between creativity and money--and it's still entertaining

GULF COURSE
It's Iraq 'n' roll in "Three Kings"

WORTHY OF THE CROWN
A war movie with a conscience, an action movie with a funny bone--"Three Kings" is a blast

SERIOUS HUMOR
"Three Kings" is funny, but with a message

GULF WAR SYNDROME
David O. Russell goes deep inside Desert Storm

DETHRONED
"Three Kings" forgets important lessons of old-fashioned moviemaking

CHECK MATES
Simply put, "Three Kings" rules

SPANKING THE SADDAM
David O. Russell's third film is an unsettling, confusing and often hilarious take on the Gulf War

CINEMA SLUGFEST
"Three Kings" kicks off a fourth-quarter of heavyweight film releases