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In recent years there have been a number of highly original and intelligent depictions of modern warfare – The Hurt Locker (2009) and Green Zone (2010) to name but two. These films help give us a greater sense of what it’s actually like to experience the day-to-day life of conflict, which is never simply shoot-out after shoot-out. They also help remind us how narrow the view on our TV screens can be. Special Forces, I’m afraid to say, does not fall under this category. Far from it.

“One team. One mission. One chance.” – So reads the poster for the film. The mission for this particular Special Forces unit is to rescue a French journalist (Diane Kruger) who has been taken hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan. For the adept team, finding her is not too much of a problem. It is when they miss their pickup, however, that it becomes a...

European actress Diane Kruger, who recently made headlines by landing the coveted role of Helen in the Warner Bros. Pictures epic Troy, next stars opposite Nicolas Cage in the Walt Disney Co. feature National Treasure. Kruger will play a Smithsonian museum worker in the film directed by Jon Turteltaub and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, Turteltaub and Christina Steinberg. Based on an idea from Turteltaub, Disney marketing chief Oren Aviv and Charles Segers, Treasure is a caper story about a secret code in the U.S. Constitution that bears the whereabouts of a treasure buried during the 1700s. Disney production exec Jason Reed is overseeing for the studio, with a mid-September production start date planned. German-born Kruger, who lives in France, began her career as a ballet dancer and model before making her acting debut in the indie feature The Piano Player opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert. Her French film credits include Mon Idole and the upcoming Michel Vaillant. She also appears opposite Josh Hartnett in the upcoming MGM thriller Obsessed. Kruger is repped by Independent Artists Network.

German-born, Paris-based actress Diane Kruger has been tapped to play Helen of Troy in Warner Bros. Pictures/Village Roadshow Pictures' Troy for director Wolfgang Petersen. The project, a sweeping epic based on Homer's Illiad, will be filmed in England, Malta and Los Cabos, Mexico. Principal photography is scheduled to begin April 22 in England. Written by David Benioff, Troy stars Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Julie Christie, Peter O'Toole and Garrett Hedlund. Petersen, Diana Rathbun and Colin Wilson are producing. "Diane is not only a stunning beauty but a gifted actress with tremendous emotional depth and presence," Petersen said. "The role of Helen is charged with the grandeur of history and legend. I am confident that Diane has the charisma and artistry that this compelling character demands." Kruger, repped by CAA and Independent Artists Network, began her career as a ballet dancer and model before making her acting debut in last year's indie feature The Piano Player opposite Dennis Hopper and Christopher Lambert. Her French film credits include Mon Idole and the upcoming Michel Vaillant. She recently wrapped shooting opposite Josh Hartnett the untitled MGM/Lakeshore Entertainment production formerly titled Wicker Park.