Fire Over Afghanistan

Afghanistan is thousands of miles from anything in our world and yet because

of 9/11 has acheived a central status that this movie trains its sight on. The two Americans would seem to be there for entirely different reasons and

yet there is a chilling sense that both are there to escape personal tragedy or the sense that being alive when others are dying is patently unfair. The movie's two lead actors are up to the task of making us pay atention and there is an

aching sense that only in this ridiculously violent world could they possibly find each other and in the end save each other. Although there is no real explanation for why Afghanistan has to suffer so much death and destruction, this movie at least gives us the sense that there are real people there who deserve a chance for something better. Although there is

plenty of violence and action, it always seemd justified. Worth a viewing.

Dont let the MPAA fool you with their "Rated R for extreme violence" there is definatly no extreme violence in this boring peice of s*t. I expected some cheap rambo 3 type action that the trailer promised, however its just boring boring nonsense with tons of lame slow mo flashbacks that make no sense. AVOID!

There's nothing wrong with this movie that some budget wouldn't fix. The acting, dialogue and direction are fine -- the story is derivative of The Purple Plain, but that's 50 years ago and using it as a springboard is not a bad idea. We begin with a struggling pilot's fantasy that his world is exploding around him. When nobody else reacts he and we realize that it's in his mind... and we are supposed to wonder why. Having established him as a helicopter pilot (in a thin but story-forwarding action scene) we learn the reason for the pilot's internal struggle: he lost a son to a suicide bomber's madness. The story unfolds with the pilot being given a chance at salvation, a chance at finding a reason to live: when his chopper is shot down, he and the female reporter on board must find their way across Afghanistan to safety while bounty hunting bad guys pursue them.

Yes, yes, there are never enough stunts or explosions -- but when our hero charges the bad guys, it isn't bad strategy, it's his suicidal side coming out. There are noble ideas at work here. It's a shame there wasn't enough dough to silence the idiots who care what the cockpit looks like more than they care what characters are feeling.

This is a low budget attempt at getting under the skin of people who deposit themselves into difficult territory and attempt to maintain their equilibrium. The actors are strong and the story is familiar, but there is a sorrowful angst in between the gunshots. You can tell the filmmakers care far more about the situation than they do the action -- and once you accept it, it's okay. I watched it a couple times to make sure I hadn't looked away and missed something, and the second time through I understood what they were after: the pointlessness of war. This is a movie in which a character is forced to shout "Shoot him, dammit!" A rip from Bridge on the River Kwai, a wild comparison, yes, but another war picture that wanted only to say how pointless the war itself is.

"This odd little" movie is so bad it's funny. Not as funny as other hilarious terrible movies such as SHAKEDOWN, and WHEN EAGLES STRIKE, but it is good for some laughs. There tends to be a little too much dialogue (and when your dialogue is god awful, thats not a good thing) and not enough hilariously pathetic action sequences.

HIGHLIGHTS: unabashedly reused shots, terrible terrible acting, a bazooka that shoots fire, giant Afghan fighters, helicopters that defy the laws of physics, and a really really unnecessary rape scene, just to name a few things. Plus, the hero is a squirrelly little guy who could never pull off what he supposedly does.

For those of you who enjoyed the dialogue and would like to see another more boring and actionless version of this film, check out Escape From Afghanistan which features 50% of the same camera shots and 100% less awesomely bad explosions.

Also, for those of you who rent the DVD, be sure to watch the trailers for upcoming releases which seem to be promising one thing and one thing alone... if you watch these new movies, you will see boobies, lots and lots of boobies.