Skip to main content

Film Review: "12 Strong"

Image result for 12 strong movie



Director Nicolai Fuglsig brings us 12 Strong, the unbelievable true story of the very first Special Forces team sent to Afghanistan after the terrorist attack of 9/11. Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), an untested captain, and his team must team up with an Afghan warlord in order to take down the Taliban. 12 Strong stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and Michael Peña.

It seems that the vast majority of war films in recent years have centered around the subject of PTSD which makes this film a nice departure into a different aspect of war. Instead of dealing with the aftermath of war, 12 Strong is very much about the beginnings of it and briefly touches on the initial emotions one goes through after killing someone for the first time. While I would have liked to see the film dive into this a little bit more deeply, I appreciate the fact that it at least tried.

The film wastes no time in sending us to the battlefield. However, the short period of time we spend before going to the war is very important. One of the things that I enjoyed the most about this film was the way it showed  how each soldier's family is affected by their husbands going off to war. I think that war films have a tendency to romanticize a soldier heading off to go fight. I really liked that this film painted a different picture in that sense. It showed us different perspectives of how the soldier's loved ones felt about them leaving in the blink of an eye without the promise of ever returning. This makes you immediately care about these characters and hope for their safe return home, which is what any good war movie should do.

The action itself, while not the greatest, it's serviceable enough to have an enjoyable viewing experience. I had a bit of an issue with how many quick cuts the film used during battle sequences and wish that they would have slowed that down just a little bit. I think there are a lot of details that get lost in the shuffle of the incredibly quick camera movements. But while 12 Strong doesn't offer anything new in regards to how the action is shot or portrayed, it does do a nice job of building suspense and tension throughout the film.

Story-wise, the events that this film covers are truly remarkable and it is no surprise that a film was made about them. The cast had great chemistry and you could feel a real sense of brotherhood between them. They displayed real concern for each other while in the middle of being in a firefight, but also joked with each other whenever possible. However, because of how important and extraordinary this piece of history is, I would have liked to see them tone down the comedy a little bit. It felt to me that there were one too many jokes, both on and off the battlefield. Taking things a little more seriously would add an extra layer of realness that a story of this magnitude sorely needs.

Although the film isn't completely under-developed, there are certain elements that I wish the filmmakers would have explored more, such as Mitch's first kill. Overall, it's an entertaining-enough war film that tells a story that deserves to be told. It might not quite hit the mark, but it is still worth a watch especially on such a slow month like January.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"The Avengers: Age of Ultron"

(Picture via Bing Images) Before we get started, let's get one thing out of the way: I absolutely love the first "Avengers" film. It is a very special movie for me and in many ways it is the reason why I am writing here today. Inevitably, people will always ask if the second movie was better to the original, so as I compare "Age of Ultron" to it, keep in mind the high regard in which I hold the original. In my eyes, "Age of Ultron" is just slightly better. While some might disagree, the fact that this is an argument that can be had says a lot about this film. ***WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD*** "The Avengers: Age of Ultron", directed by Joss Whedon, kicks off with a fantastic action scene that serves as a way to show the viewer that this is not the team's first mission together since the last film. Instead, we are told that this is actually the last in many missions together to find Loki's scepter. The action itself is also very c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Jurassic World Review

Image via Joblo.com *THIS POST MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS* When the original Jurassic Park came out, I was not yet born and therefore I don't know what it was like to see it in theatres for the first time. After watching Jurassic World , however, I think I have a pretty good idea of what that must have felt like. In many ways, this movie was a lot more terrifying than most horror films nowadays. I honestly don't remember the last time I watched a movie in theaters that had my heart pounding as much as this one did. One of the things that this movie did so well was create the same wonder and awe that the original did, while staying original and keeping up with its time. We are thrown into this world where, due to scientific improvements, humans are able to produce dinosaurs and a theme park is finally built around them. The problem that these scientist and park operators are dealing with, however, is having to deal with a generation of people that is constantly asking for th...
Post a Comment
Read more

Film Review: "The Intern"

Image via ComingSoon.net One of the things that stood out to me immediately when I walked into the theater for this movie was the amount of senior citizens that were in attendance. That, to me, shows that the advertising for this film hit its primary target which is not surprising considering the premise of this movie. It was also cool seeing so many people lining up to see a Robert De Niro movie that is actually worth watching, because in recent years, those types of movies have been few and far between. The Intern  follows retired widower, Ben Whittaker, as he lands an internship with an up-and-coming online store after an endless search for a way to pass the time. As he begins at About the Fit, he is immediately faced with a world that he was once familiar with but that has since evolved drastically thanks to technological advances. Being the curious and observant man that he is, however, he begins to learn from his much younger colleagues and before long he is able to...
Post a Comment
Read more