12 Strong
12 Strong works as a tribute to the real-life American heroes who lived it, but is an overall generic war film without much substance.
The previous photographic film from veteran Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer,12 Strongmarks the lineament film entry for director Nicolai Fuglsig . It say the true story of a declassified mission from the outset of America ’s war on holy terror , in which a small grouping of soldiers were among the first deployed to Afghanistan to fight back against the Taliban . Its elemental aspiration is to grow cognizance of this incredible moment in history by giving these brave men a moment in the spotlight for all to see . On that front , the film is moderately successful in its goals , but does n’t reinvent the wheel.12 Strongworks as a tribute to the real - life American heroes who be it , but is an overall generic warfare film without much meaning .
12 Strongbegins on September 11 , 2001 , as America mourns the horrendous terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon . Despite filing for a soft desk job so he could stay skinny to his family , Alpha 595 captain Mitch Nelson ( Chris Hemsworth ) requests to be reinstated as his team ’s drawing card so he can go overseas to defend the United States . Colonel Max Bowers ( Rob Riggle ) fit in to send the mathematical group out , and Mitch is bring together by comrades such as Chief Cal Spencer ( Michael Shannon ) , Sergeant Sam Diller ( Michael Peña ) , and Sergeant Ben Milo ( Trevante Rhodes ) to go to Afghanistan .
There , Mitch and his team are tax with rendezvousing with the Northern Alliance ’s General Abdul Rashid Dostum ( Navid Negahban ) , with the two leaders joining military group to divvy up the Taliban a major reverse . Their primary mission is to simulate control of the Afghan city Mazar - i - Sharif , hoping to action their object glass before the weather gain conditions unbearable . Meanwhile , Nelson and Dostum ’s contrasting personalities threaten to derail the foreign mission , forcing the two to seek to overcome their differences for the greater trade good .
The film is a mixed bag in respect to its execution . On the positive side of the spectrum , Fuglsig does a respectable job of portraying the camaraderie and sense of brotherhood that be between military member , as the principal cast have alchemy with each other that smooth through on juncture . Whether the ensemble is jest with each other while on nucleotide or endeavor to survive together in the warmth of fighting , TV audience get the sense that this is a cohesive team with age of experience . There is also sizable prison term dedicated to showcasing the relationship between Nelson and Dostum , which serves as the film ’s primary subplot . Those two characters partake in a decent amount of screen time with a nice bow as they check valuable lesson about each other . Their dynamic may not be the most emotionally - rewarding this writing style has seen , but it works for12 Strongand pays off .
alas , Ted Tally and Peter Craig ’s playscript has various shortcomings that prevent12 Strongfrom progress to its full potential . Several of the lineament are shortchanged and ultimately fare across as two - dimensional individuals whose only real role is to flesh out the squad . There are seek to give some of the soldier more to do ( see : Milo ’s evolving friendship with his child " shadow " ) , but most of these sadly telephone hollow due to insufficient characterization . The span also have a hard time avoiding classic war movie clichés ( concerned family back home , on - the - nozzle thematic duologue ) that are designed to tower at the heartstrings and not much else.12 Strongdeserves reference for striving to progress to the bar set by its harbinger , but it falls a little short .
As one might expect , first - time director Fuglsig is n’t seamless as the helmsman . Where he struggles most is with pacing , as the film arguably overstays its welcome with a runtime of 130 minutes . While the story itself is enthralling and character motive clear , the lack of emotional investment in many of the individuals can make it drag at item . The military action sequences Fuglsig stages are adequate - in that they steadfastly establish how overmatched the American soldiers are - but they do turn repetitive as the film marches on and none of them unfeignedly stand out asthebattle audiences will retrieve long after the moving picture is over . Still , the director has a steady hand at crafting rigid pieces and will hopefully improve as his vocation progresses .
In regard to the performances , Hemsworth makes for a solid Pb as Mitch , portraying the soldier as a well - meaning hero eager to go straits - first into danger . While this is n’t the most challenging spectacular role the role player has work , his CRT screen presence and likability are more than enough to have audiences rootle for him - especially when the leaving fix tough . Hemsworth is complement by Negahaban as Dostum , playing an effective riff on the wise man / mentee relationship . Their interactions can be tense or insightful depending on the situation , and credit rating goes to Hemsworth and Negahban for pull it off . Michael Shannon has the most substantial part of the supporting instrumentalist , and he is able to ground Spencer with the dignity viewers have number to expect from the worker . However , much like the others on Mitch ’s team , there is n’t a whole lot for Shannon to do because of how his purpose is written .
For January releases,12 Strongis far from the worst of the cluster , but it is n’t exactly large , either . Fuglsig ’s intention are clearly in the correct place , celebrating the incredible accomplishments of its subjects with good work from his cast . However,12 Strongcomes up forgetful of being the rousing memorialization it wants to be and will have a familiar smell to anyone with passing cognition of earlier films of its nature . The handwriting favors a received story instead of something that moil a little deeper , meaning witness who are n’t already interested in the material wo n’t be missing much if they choose to skip it . But for those in the modality for a in good order - made war film,12 Strongcould be worth hold back out in theaters .
Trailer
12 Strongis now play in U.S. theatre . It runs 130 moment and is value radius for war force and linguistic communication throughout .
12 Strongtells the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11 ; under the leadership of a fresh captain , the team must work with an Afghani warlord to take down the Taliban . This moving-picture show is based on a true tale , using Doug Stanton ’s book , Horse Soldiers , as its primary reservoir of intake .
Chris Hemsworth in 12 Strong
