Kandahar

Since the last couple of decades we have been fascinated with either espionage films or covert military films which have been aplenty, however sometimes the two cross paths and we then end up with "Kandahar"Films such as "Zero Dark Thirty" '12, "Lone Survivor" '13 and "13 Hours" '16 all come to mind as well, but this film divides the two aspects right down the middle.

An undercover CIA operative, Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) becomes stuck in hostile territory in Afghanistan after his mission is exposed. Accompanied by his translator Mohammed 'Mo' Doud Navid Negahban), he must fight enemy combatants as he attempts to reach an extraction point in Kandahar. If it wasn't for his translator, Roman Chalmers (Travis Fimmel) and Ismail Rabbani (Ray Hadatian) in assisting Tom, he wouldn't have made it at all. Is this a spoiler alert? He has to make it, but what hell must he go through to get there?

Others to round out the cast are Ali Fazal as Kahil Nasir, Bahador  Foladi as Farzad Asadi, Nina Toussaint White as Luna Cujai, Vassilis Koukalani as Bashar Hamadani, Mark Arnold as Mark Lowe, Corey Johnson as Chris Hoyt, Ravi Aujla as Siraj Agha, Tom Rhys Harris as Oliver Altman and Hakeem Jomah as Rasoul.

This was directed with grit and amazing intensity by Ric Roman Waugh ("In the Shadows" '01, "Felon" '08, "Switch" '13, "That Which I Love Destroys Me" '15, "Shot Caller" '17, "Angel Has Fallen" '19) plus a video. As per this filmmaker's resume, he certainly kept within the parameters of his comfort zone, and that's permissible. Otherwise we wouldn't receive the incredible realism which was showcased here. I can truly understand why Waugh is used consistently for this genre. It was written equally well with a brutal approach considering the subject matter by Mitchell LaFortune. Not only was this the first feature film this writer has ventured into, it is his first screenplay period. Other than a couple of very small inconsistencies in script, this story was handled in an amazing professional way. It was a story that did obtain brutality, however, it wasn't 'in your face' gratuitous about it which I can definitely respect. If this is LaFortune's first screenplay, I can't wait to see what he writes next, and there will be a next time. The aspect of the comraderie between Harris and Doud was quite unique and much needed, especially since the only other film I've seen this kind of comraderie between a soldier or operative and his translator was in the recently released "Guy Ritchie's The Covenant". 

Certainly if you like either espionage or war films, you'll love this. It's brutal, but then, isn't a wartime setting that way? It has a lot to say about war, comraderie, trust and simply doing the right thing even if it means suffering any potential consequences. It is truly a vehicle one would come to expect to see Butler in, but it's forgiving since he does these types of films so well.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                        Rated: R                                           119mins.