12 Strong
2018 · Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig
Original language: English
- war
- action
- history
The story
A team of special forces head into Afghanistan in the aftermath of the September 11th attacks in an attempt to dismantle the Taliban.
What it’s like
Washed-out desert light and dusty earth tones dominate, with sweeping wide shots of brown mountains and open valleys that make the men look small against the terrain. The camera stays close and jittery during firefights, then settles into steadier framing for quieter moments of horseback travel and tense negotiation. Grit and sweat show up in the image, and the score swells with orchestral drama and mournful strings at emotional beats, so the mood leans earnest and heavy rather than restrained. The vibe is dusty, patriotic and sincere, with a tone of hard-bitten camaraderie and post-9/11 resolve. Its intensity is firm: frequent gunfire, bloody wounds and combat deaths, with some graphic injury but no gore for its own sake. Violence is constant during the action sequences and lands with weight. Its pacing alternates long stretches of tense planning with bursts of battle, and its people's arcs follow hardened soldiers who grow closer through shared danger. It suits viewers who want a sweeping, earnest war film about a small unit, not a quiet or gentle watch.
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