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Review: 12 Strong (2018)

Review: 12 Strong (2018)
08 Apr
2020
Not in Hall of Fame

Cast:

Chris Hemsworth                                  Capt Mitch Nelson

Michael Shannon                                  Hal Spencer

Michael Pena                                        Sam Diller

Navid Negahban                                   Gen. Dostum

Trevante Rhodes                                   Ben Milo

Geoff Stults                                          Sean Coffers

Rob Riggle                                            Lt Col Bowers

William Fichtner                                    Colonel Mulholland

As with many others at this time, we have increased our consumption of television as a result of staying home. However, in our home, we have reserved movies for the weekend. Even when every day feels like a weekend lately. For this Friday’s feature we selected 12 Strong (2018). Based on a true story, this film tells the tale of the first military incursion into Afghanistan after the attack on the twin towers on 9/11. What also intrigued me about this film was the fact that I had really enjoyed the book, Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton. My wife and I both enjoy movies that are based on fact, so in that light, we were both looking forward to this film.

12 Strong is about Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) 595 which was selected as the first Special Forces Unit to deploy into Afghanistan at the outset of the Greater War On Terror (GWOT). Once deployed into theatre, Capt Mitch Nelson and his 12-man A-Team must hook up with General Dostum and provide whatever assistance they can in these very early days. Not only does this team have to combat the Taliban, they also have to overcome cultural/language differences, long supply lines, and weather, but they also have to accomplish their mission before winter sets in and all activities would be curtailed. Their prime mission is to assist General Dostum’s forces in the capture of Mazar-i-Sharif. The liberation of Mazar-i-Sharif from the Taliban was the lynch-pin for the demise of the Taliban in Afghanistan and was an extremely important and strategic mission. The assistance provided by ODA 595 would primarily centre on the direction of air support and strikes on Taliban targets.  As this film is of real events, it is not really giving any spoilers when it is stated that this support provided in the early days were integral to the demise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. 

Now, let us talk about the film’s main actors, their portrayal, and the scenery and cinematography. 

Chris Hemsworth as Captain Mitch Nelson: The central figure in this film, Hemsworth did an admirable job portraying a Special Forces Officer. Not only can he look the part, but his attitude in getting the job done was portrayed in a believable fashion. Hemsworth is steadily becoming a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood, besides the Marvel universe as Thor, he has been in a number of films to show his diversity, i.e. Star Trek (George Kirk), Cabin in the Woods (Kurt), Red Dawn (Jed Eckert) and Men in Black: International (Agent H). Hemsworth will support or lead a film with equal alacrity. Ok, some of the films I mentioned (i.e. Men in Black) were not exactly great, but he is showing his diversity. As it always difficult to portray a real character, especially one still alive, Hemsworth managed to display the determination, leadership qualities and care for his men in a believable fashion. Action movies being his strong suit, Hemsworth did a great job in this film overall. 

Michael Shannon as Hal Spencer: Shannon is becoming more and more prevalent in the industry of late, or maybe just in films that I have chosen to watch. His stoic demeanor was perfectly suited to play the role of a Chief Warrant Officer (CWO). A CWO is an expert and technical specialist in military activities with many years of experience to draw upon. There were several scenes with Shannon that I specifically enjoyed. The first was when Spencer (Shannon) interceded with the Commanding Officer to ensure that Nelson (Hemsworth) was back on the team. This scene clearly articulates the importance of a CWO in a military institution and how their advice and guidance is valued by the senior command. Just the fact that the CWO would vouch for the junior officer is testament to the faith in the Captains abilities. This trust will go along way with the Chain of Command, and obviously in this case, it did. The 2ndscene with Spencer (Shannon) that I liked was when his team pulled up on horseback to the battlefield and he had to be assisted off the horse as his back was in intense pain. This was realistic and also confirmed in the extra’s of the film. The real CWO Spencer (Bob Pennington) stated that he actually did have to be assisted off of his horse as his back was in so much pain. These realities helped make this film into a thoroughly enjoyable experience. 

Michael Pena as Sam Diller: Pena is in a supporting role here, and this is where he is best. He can play action, comedy or drama when required. His diversity is added bonus to any film that he is part of. In 12 Strong, he did not disappoint. Pena does an excellent job of articulating the military’s penchant for dark humour. His quips and barbs were well timed and delivered, further adding to the entertainment value of the film. 

Navid Negahban as Gen. Dostum: Negahban’s portrayal of Gen Dostum was what I had pictured in my mind’s eye when reading the book. Dostum (Negahban) easily demonstrated the cultural differences that were present during this conflict. The west can try to understand Afghanistan and its people, but I fear that they never really will. In my own tours in Kandahar, and in my conversations with the indigenous populace, I always found the differences amazing and extremely interesting. When driving through Kandahar or even down highway 1 en-route to Kabul, we would receive the full spectrum of attention. Everything from smiling/waving faces, rocks/food thrown at our vehicles to even small arms fire. You would never know what to expect.  Dostum’s (Negahban) actions throughout the film were in line with the climate of the time. He was well known leader in Afghanistan who was reputed to be extremely dangerous. There are several scenes in this film (and articulated in the book as well) which I found very interesting. The first is during initial meeting with ODA 595. The troops had brought in a gift of horse feed for the General, which he dismissed out of hand. It was not until the gift of a bottle of Vodka that he was more receptive of their arrival. The second scene of import (to me) was the first attack where he communicated with the Taliban in the village to see if there was a specific relative in place. They did not attack until it was clear that he was not present. This was also in the book, and I remember our own intelligence briefs prior to deployment on how the culture influenced their concept of war. Finally, it was Dostum’s statement that he could not afford to let the Americans get injured. He feared that if one of them would sustain an injury that American support would decrease and that he would again be left to fight the Taliban on his own. I enjoyed Negahban as Dostum and I think his role was integral to the plot of the film as well as the film’s success.

William Fichtner as Colonel Mullholand: Fichtner is a personal favourite of mine. Extremely versatile he can take on any role, however, it must be noted that most of his roles are playing those in uniform (Armageddon, Prison Break, Black Hawk Down, Invasion, to name but a few), but he has also dabbled in some comedic roles (Big Bang Theory, Blades of Glory, Mom) and has done an admirable job there as well. Personally, I think his portrayal of Colonel Mulholland was very well done. He had the appropriate air of command and gravitas that would be required for a person who had those responsibilities, though I must say, his shaved head did give him some resemblance to Golum in Lord of the Rings. 

Rob Riggle as LCol Bowers: Riggle’s role here while integral to the plot was not stellar. While he could effectively portray an officer (hell, he was one), I found him to be a little stilted in portions of his delivery. I did find it extremely interesting to find out that he actually served under the real LCol Bowers in 2001. It is not often that an actor gets to play someone he knew in real life, so that might have been the reason where sometimes the delivery might have been a bit off.  Maybe it was the fact that he was actually portraying a former commanding officer that intimidated him a bit, I don’t know, but I find he is far better in his comedic ventures than serious ones.  

12 Strong was predominately filmed in New Mexico, and the scenery was very reminiscent of Afghanistan itself. The mountain scenes, sand, dunes etc. brought back many memories for me. While I knew it was not Afghanistan proper, it was similar enough to bring me back the memories of the terrain from many years ago. I enjoyed it and found it very interesting. Additionally, even the base in Uzbekistan was similar enough to what I experienced in Afghanistan to demonstrate some realism, so well done to the producers and director. The biggest fault I found in the film though was some of the battle scenes…. c’mon guys, your magazine’s are not limitless. I think I only saw one instance that they actually switched magazines. The amount of full-auto fire-power that was demonstrated would have each soldiers carrying about 50 lbs in ammo alone. But I know, it is a movie…and I did find it entertaining even with the unlimited ammo. Also, some of the bombs dropped on support were far too close then would be the case for them to really survive the explosion, but again it is a film, and it did add to the excitement of the battle sequences. 

Overall how did we find this film? We enjoyed it, 12 Strong gave a fair portrayal of military operations, specifically in the early days of the war in Afghanistan. It was a true story that did not really stretch the facts to something unbelievable. The casting was above average for a film of this nature and the balance between action, humour and the telling of the story was well done. For my wife and I, both veterans of Afghanistan, 12 Strong brought back memories and instilled discussions between us of our tours and experiences. We especially enjoyed the quips and barbs of dark humour interspersed within the film, as we know how often lines like that are the reality in an operation. We were entertained throughout the film, and I think I would watch it again to get some of the nuances etc that I missed the first time around. 

Our Rating: 6.5/10

If you are interested in other films from the main cast, please consider the following recommendations.

Chris Hemsworth          Thor (trilogy), Avengers (trilogy), Cabin in the Woods, Red Dawn

Michael Shannon          Knives Out, Boardwalk Empire

Michael Pena                Antman, World Trade Centre, Chips, The Shield

William Fichtner            Prison break, Armageddon, Black Hawk Down

                        

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