Kandahar

This is a perfectly good movie. The comparisons to The Covenant, Guy Ritchie's movie with Jake Gyllenhaal are understandable, and while there are some similarities, it is not a like for like by any means. There are in fact many differences. I won't spell them out for fear of giving spoilers, but if you watch both movies you will get my point. Gerard Butler does seem to be the go to guy for an awful lot of action movies over the last five plus years, but there is a good reason for that. He meets the requirements of a Hollywood hero very well; handsome, likeable, tough and and pretty decent actor for the most part. I enjoyed the movie and would recommend to anyone who likes action/military type movies.

This is a good war thriller with lots of action, impressive scenes and strong violence. A gripping and exciting story that keeps you tense throughout the entire film. Thriller with noisy action, shootouts, excessively shaky camera in some places and the special effects are quite brilliant. After sabotaging an Iranian nuclear reactor, Agent Tom Harris: Gerard Butler discovers that his identity has been revealed by a detained journalist, Nina Toussaint-White, and that the CIA's involvement in the destruction of the nuclear reactor has been made public. Gerard Butler plays Tom Harris, and his partner in the film, Oliver, is performed by Tom Harries. Harris has 30 hours to get to the airport in Kandahar, Afghanistan, along with his translator Mohammad 'Mo' Doud: Navid Negahban. To fight the tumultuous escape, he reteams with mercurial and skilled operative Roman Chalmers: Travis Fimmel. The only thing more dangerous than the mission is escape!

This exciting film contains loudy action, full of suspense, tension, crossfire, chases and adrenaline. Financed by the head of the "John Wick" saga, as producer Alan Siegel explains: "Not everything revolves around shooting and chases: the key is humanity", so the most dangerous thing is not the mission, it is the escape... and that is what the character of Gerard Butler, (The Pilot, 300), who is the true protagonist of this intricate and fast-paced action thriller, is very clear about.

Operation Kandahar (2023) contains colorful cinematography by cameraman David Buckley filmed in several locations: Al-'Ula, Saudi Arabia, and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. As well as a moving and intriguing musical score by composer MacGregor. The film was competently directed by Ric Roman Waugh and filmed from December 2, 2021 to January 28, 2022. Roman has a long career as a stuntman and later became a prestigious writer and filmmaker. Waugh is a good director and writer, known for National Champions, Shot Caller (2017), Target: Washington D. C. or Angel Has Fallen (2019), Greenland (2020), In the Shadows and especially for his first big hit, Felon. He has been married to Tanya Ballinger, who often appears in his films. Rating: 6.5/10. It's worth seeing. Better than average. Essential and indispensable viewing for Gerard Butler fans and action thriller enthusiasts.

On the pro side, the photography was beautiful. There were some gorgeous desert shots, fly-overs of the cars that were enjoyable in their own right. Fight scenes were realistic enough to feel the sense of danger. Even the music was good and kept me wanting to feel empathy for the characters, but here's were the problem was. I couldn't tell if I was supposed to be rooting for the main characters or disappointed that they were making the same mistakes of their past. The whistle-blower reporter, was she a heroine or an ignorant meddler? Did the black-ops group do something bad or good? The medley of Iranian operatives, ISIS, Talaban, and a host of others all had their vague "bad-ness" about them, trying to kill the main character, but then they were just being used as well, so maybe I was supposed to feel badly for them. Am I supposed to feel bad about being the US forces attacking Afganistan? Our calamity of a withdrawal? Or am I just supposed feel like war is a mess of conflicting allegiances and there are no more clear answers any more?

Filmography/editing got this a 6/10 instead of the 5/10 that the writing deserved.

The film's strengths lie in its action sequences and Butler's performance. The action sequences are well-choreographed and exciting, and Butler gives a strong performance as the CIA operative. However, the film's weaknesses are its predictability and lack of originality. The plot is very predictable, and the film relies heavily on clichés and stereotypes. Overall, Kandahar is an average action thriller film that is worth watching for Butler's performance, but it is not a must-see film.

Here are some of the pros and cons of the film:

Pros:

Gerard Butler gives a strong performance.

The action sequences are well-choreographed and exciting.

The film is shot beautifully, capturing the harsh beauty of the Afghan landscape.

Cons:

The plot is predictable.

The film relies heavily on clichés and stereotypes.

The film is slow-paced at times.

Overall, Kandahar is an average action thriller film that is worth watching for Butler's performance, but it is not a must-see film.

After the explosion i got lost in this movie. Everyone is against each other and all together are chasing the spy and the poor translator. Every force that passed ftom the region in the last 20 years (USA,Talibans,ISIS,Al Quaeda,Pakistan) are put in a mixer with no begging and no end. There are many plotholes and some times is slow paced. It is so tiring that i hardly kept myself of not falling asleep.

There are some good action scenes. Many collateral plots running together made the movie complicated. Nothing to compare to the Convenant. I'd rather compare it to "Plane",Buttler's previous movie.

Really,does Hollywood lacks of military and geostrategical advisors?

The scenario is like it is written by a 10 years old kid.

The duration should be max 90' no more because it is too tiring. It is from the kind of movies that i'd expect from netflix,and i would watch it only once.