Kandahar Break

this film is an Islamic morality tale with two lessons.

one: is the oppressive nature of Islamic law.

two: is how dangerous the ignorance and arrogance of westerners can be in an Islamic country. and how that ignorance can create dangers beyond western comprehension.

and i saw it all coming within the first ten minutes. i cringed so much at the obvious outcome, that i fast forwarded to the end--an end that acted as a metaphor for the u.s. led invasion.

this script does not work in a post 9/11 west--which is no doubt why it was set in a pre 9/11 afghanistan. i can't imagine anyone out there who is not familiar with Islamic oppression, as it has been constantly publicized by western powers to justify the intervention.

overall, this movie is not worth the time it takes to watch it. and i love war movies. it's not worth watching, unless it preaches to a choir to which you belong.

Going into Kandahar Break, I was not too sure what to expect, but coming out of the film, it's clear to say what the film is. It's a harsh look at the realities of a giant culture clash. Its a drama, centred around a love story, set in Afghanistan.

The characters are really solid in this film, Shaun Dooley who plays Richard Lee, a clearance engineer who returns to Afghanistan shortly after he death of his ex-wife in Africa, is really something special. He comes across as something of a excellent TV actor, with leading man qualities, its going to be nice to see him do some interesting roles in the future. Dean Andrews plays the other British citizen in the film, Steve Delamore, who almost steals each scene he is in.

The other actors, mainly played by local actors of Afghanistan are also very good, with much praise going to Hameed Sheikh who may not have the biggest part in the film, but has one of my personal favourite characters in the film.

The directing of the film was pretty good, it does at some times feel a bit like a TV movie, but a good TV movie. David Whitney has certainly come from a TV background, but is certainly heading in the right direction to be a good feature director. The camera is still when it needs to be still and hectic when it needs to be hectic.

Overall the full film is pretty pacey, clocking in at 94 minutes, the time flies by and at no point does the film drag. If you get the chance, and enjoy a good solid drama, Kandahar Break is a film you should be watching.

So, you hear the title 'Kandahar Break', and your mind is instantly drawn to preconceived comparisons to all the war films of recent years you have seen. Trying to artistically, and/or factually, portray the horrors of the middle-east that have occurred over the past decade. But don't worry, you're not the only one who did this. I did too, what else do you expect? With films like 'Jarhead', 'The Hurt Locker', and 'The Green Zone' all having their crack at taking an artistic stance on the current political situations masked with their own stories. So why would you even bother to watch another one of these many types of films? Perhaps, because unlike the others, there aren't any gun-toting militia displaying vague humility and fighting for their country to highlight patriotism, entice us with script and visuals, and perhaps tell us how bad things are as well.

Kandahar Break, is in fact, a simple drama centered around love. But not your simple 'Pride And Prejudice', oh no, one enshrouded in corruption and intrigue. In fact, could you call it a love story? Perhaps not, a survival story perhaps? Culture clashes? For what you initially perceive to be a standard 'war film', in fact comes at you with many a surprise. It's very refreshing to see someone break away from archetypical expectations and use these settings for something a lot more interesting.

But in implying this film has a romance at its core, it shouldn't be assumed that this film is a "date movie" or any such like. This actually has the potential to appeal to a variety of tastes. It is not without its social commentary, but that is to say the film is not focused on it. These things happen in the background while something much more seemingly simple in terms of plot happens in front. It feels as if all the complex scenarios of the environment have been shoved aside. But this I see as an incredibly positive thing. This strengthens the emotional intent of the protagonist and allows you to open a window into perceiving his priorities.

Some of the acting can leave a little to be desired, though under the circumstances this isn't such a deterrence. The story in fact is gripping enough to be able to allow you to set aside the very minor discrepancies in performance, at least on first viewing. Though with this being David Whitney's debut feature, there is a lot to be commended for, as filming in Pakistan was not without its troubles. Some of the dangers shown on screen, in actuality, happened to the crew themselves. With four of the Pakistani crew members being wounded after being shot at by Taliban, the shoot had to be relocated to Tunisia to finish the film. Not only does this make the film an on-screen adventure, but a very real (and dangerous) one too.

After winning awards at Newport Film Festival (UK) for Best Film and Best Actor, as well as for Best Feature at the Philadelphia Film Festival, it's apparent that all this effort was not wasted. Though it doesn't need to win awards to prove this. Despite small flaws in some performance, this an immensely impressive first feature from a new director, and shows tremendous potential for a future career.

A fantastic colour palette, original, superbly directed, well written and brilliantly executed. This is an 8 out of 10, a film not to be missed.

There's nothing wrong with the story of Kandahar Break. I did a little research and it seems that this film is the Director/writer's first feature film. That's the problem with it. It shows. I won't mince words. Some of the filming is very good, but a lot filming of the action is ordinary. I'll go right out on a limb here. I question the casting of the lead. He looks very indoors white and soft, not to mention almost a tad overweight, and not a classic front man, to play such a brave and action-orientated role. In the movie they say he has a background in Africa, and has been in Afghanistan briefly recently. He's also an expert on mines, seemed to knows guns, which probably indicates a military background. I'm sorry, but, to me, he just didn't look the part. I kept that under my hat though and ended up enjoying the movie, mainly because the story was good, with lots of twists and definitely not beyond the bounds of plausibility, and all the actors were obviously very committed with an authentic script. It lacked the zing, shock and splatter of gunshots of more modern movies, but this is a decade old. I liked a lot of the photography of the countryside, but I felt it needed a dedicated cinematographer. For a first movie Kandahar Break is much more than just a good first effort, and does deserve praise. It is unique, yet a simple action/escape movie, which has very authentic imagery and culture and good actors, but should not to be confused with movies such as The Hurt Locker (2008), The Kingdom (2007) or Kandahar (2001).

It's a great movie. Its story is nice and real. Kandahar Break in its attempt to highlight Afghanistan as a brutal place before British and American troops removed the Taliban leaders. And it also shows Baloch freedom fighters of Baluchistan struggle for an independent Baluchistan.

Afghanistan as a place under Taliban rulers may no longer exist, but Kandahar Break attempts to take us back there with a story about love, loss and revenge. Rather than a film about war, it's more about a man's personal journey and what happens when he finds love in a place which forbids it. Tatmain Ul Qulb as Jamilah, the woman he falls in love with, is beautiful and captivating. Her time on screen though limited to flashbacks is enough to make her presence felt throughout. As a love story, I would have liked to have seen it from her perspective and to learn why she would risk everything for an affair with Richard.

As an outsider in Afghanistan, Richard has no idea about the rules, customs and the religion of the people there. As he makes no attempt to learn about any of these, he finds himself singled out as an infidel. When met with hostility he protests that he is English and pleads for them to speak English with him. I've come to know from several of my own travels that by learning even a few words of a country's language, you are more likely to receive a warmer reception than by not doing so. Richard's affair with Jamilah follows a similar pattern, and though we see why he would fall in love with her, I found it hard to see why she would reciprocate.