Directed by:
Nicolai FuglsigCinematography:
Rasmus VidebækComposer:
Lorne BalfeCast:
Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, Austin Hébert, Austin Stowell, Numan Acar (more)VOD (4)
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12 Strong is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when an elite U.S. Special Forces unit, led by their Captain, Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. soldiers sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission in response to the attacks. Leaving their families behind, the team is dropped into the remote, rugged landscape of northern Afghanistan, where they must convince General Rashid Dostum (Navid Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans - accustomed to state-of-the-art warfare - must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghan horse soldiers. Despite forming an uneasy bond and growing respect, the new allies face overwhelming odds: vastly outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners. (Entertainment in Video)
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Reviews (4)
For those who have no clue about the realism of the story, they might immediately label the film with a Boo! rating (I would have been among them). However, according to experts, the film is considered one of the most credibly made based on a true event. The cast is quite decent; at first, I didn’t believe Hemsworth in his role, as I kept seeing Thor in him, but over time I got used to him (his gritty and deep voice definitely helps with the credibility of his role as a military captain). I liked that the film also addresses the local general and his motivation against the Taliban, striving to portray his vastly different nature and the harsh life in Afghanistan. The combat scenes are high-quality; even Michael Bay would have to give a thumbs up for the monstrous explosions. It’s almost surprising that all twelve characters survived; those attacks on horseback against tanks and infantry could almost be seen as a clear suicide, but with a good dose of luck and the help of local warriors, they managed to achieve the incredible feat of staying alive. It had some script shortcomings and overly sentimental scenes, but overall it resulted in a decent war film. I give it 73%.
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This time, Vinnetou and Old Shatterhand fight together against evil tribes far away in Afghanistan, supported by spectacular, visually elaborate Bruckheimer-like effects. At times a parody, at times a poorly made war film. If it's really based on a true story, then it deserves a much more raw, believable treatment.
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This year's second visit to the cinema. Another modern war flick set in Afghanistan, where a 12-strong group of soldiers are tasked with taking down the Taliban with the help of an Afghan warlord. In terms of the cast, the film is packed: Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, and for a debut it has very solidly executed action scenes, with explosions like Michael Bay, plenty of rawness and the combination of horses with M4s against tanks has something going for it. I'm not as intense as 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, but still a decent affair that I enjoyed in the cinema. 75%
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Thor and General Zod on horseback against the Taliban. A well-made, textbook example of a movie, but nothing more. No personal angle. In his debut, Fuglsig offers nothing extra. It’s simply glorification of the American way of making war (let’s drop bombs no them). But the horse vs. tank action scenes are well-made and raw. Just a shame that we don’t learn much about the Uzbek general.
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