Kandahar

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)

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.

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.

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.

Butler is always good for the slick action movie, and has made a career as some of the most consistent action stars. While he never achieved anything compared to 300, it's hard to point a finger at a film that did not entertain.

Butler goes somewhat beyond his limited range in Kandahar with some success. There is a real attempt to create character and suspense, which is at points refreshing and at points boring. Nothing is revolutionary, the baddies get some lines of dialogue (be warned, you will have to read a lot of subtitles!) and there is some sad music playing, but that's about the extent of it. Richie's Covenant also tackles the same setting, with overall better results.

The ending is predictable and ridiculous, devolving into explosion city, but what did I expect?

There is about 20 mins to be cut from this, but it has enough going for it that I can forgive the draggy parts, and appreciate the attempt at substance.

7/10 - if your expectations are right...