Kandahar

An OK movie with nice action scenes... Very flawed when it comes to script, and one of the worst jobs in soundtracking (songs have absolutely nothing to do with the scenes).

But acting is solid, it has nice visuals, camera work is nice, director does a reasonably good job.

You can watch it for the nice actions sequences and ok plot, but the movie is quite forgettable in terms of writing and does not know what it really wants...tries to focus on too many things (character drama, action, war, politics) but not cohesively.

Anyway...nice fun, nice action, but do not expect much more than that.

(I'm done but I still have to type a fewore characters before IMDb allows me to publish)

3 out of 5 stars.

Kandahar is a fair espionage action thriller film about a CIA operative whos cover is blown. And he and his translator need to escape the country. Plot is okay. The script lacks in building the character and story. The script tries to follow different characters with there story but never pulls through completely. Leaving it feeling shallow. The action sequences are okay. Nothing too exciting or thrilling. Gerard Butler is great. But the direction just felt shallow with its story. The pacing is also slow for the first half. When the action does pick up it doesnt help capture any interest. Overall, it is an okay film that could have been better.

Kandahar is the second action-drama about Afghanistan I've seen in the last month. Guy Ritchie's The Covenant is about the same subject matter. It's different but also very similar. I find it amusing to see the return of very similar movies released in the same year (think Olympus Has Fallen and White House Down). Fortunately, in this case both movies turned out great.

I enjoyed Kandahar and found it entertaining throughout. It has some cool action scenes that seem to emphasize realism. There is an action scene at night which had me complaining at first because I couldn't see much. I wondered why they didn't use some kind of lighting trick. But as I watched, I realized this is how it would look if I was in that situation, something I've never seen.

The action is only a small portion of this movie. But I was still invested because of the story and characters. There were scenes of suspense as well as slower character moments, but I was never bored. It does a good job of balancing many moving parts (different groups, races and motivations).

Watching this movie, I couldn't help but notice how far we've come regarding Islamophobia in action movies. I grew up watching action movies where brown skin = bad guy. And even worse, they were usually portrayed as gross and barbaric. Kandahar does a much better job of illustrating the complexity of the situation, how not everything is black and white, and how there are people within those communities trying to fight against what's wrong.

I think The Covenant does a better job of holding all sides (including our own) accountable, whereas Kandahar shows sympathy without ever asking for accountability. Even the main character does some bad things that are never addressed. I wish they went that extra step to show how detrimental the outside influences can be on these situations.

Nevertheless, I had a good time with this movie and am happy with how fairly and not one-sided things are portrayed.

(1 viewing, early screening Mystery Movie Monday 5/15/2023)

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.

Strong plot and promising action but falls short. Worth viewing if you like this type of film or Butler in general.

Butler's 'Tom Harris' and Fimmel's 'Roman' were strong, they provided high points. Bagheri's 'Parshand' didn't hit the mark.

Action scenes had moments of awesome. But odd timing of starts/stops during sequences made them confusing. Particularly when Roman rolls out of the vehicle during a pursuit scene.

Parshand pursuing main characters endlessly through the desert on a low range motorcycle was odd and not believable enough. Character did not seem ruthless. His scenes subtracted from the overall concept I was expecting and hoping for.