Film Review: "12 Strong"

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.