May 25, 2023
FILM: KANDAHAR
DIRECTED BY: RIC ROMAN WAUGH
STARRING: GERARD BUTLER, NAVID NEGAHBAN, ALI FAZAL
RATING: 3 stars out of 4
By Dan Pal
During the opening scenes of Kandahar, Gerard Butler as Tom Harris, is involved in an intense “Trojan horse” situation in Qom, Iran. It is not immediately clear what the plan is or what is at stake but like a lot of action thrillers, these details get revealed in subsequent scenes. Ultimately this opening leads to a bombing in Iran that has an effect on a number of forces in Afghanistan, Dubai, and Pakistan. Harris then is invited on one more mission before he can return home to London for his daughter’s graduation.
Each of these facts makes up the basic plot of the film. There are a lot of players and countries involved with various agendas. Such a dense plot requires a bit of concentration and attention to piece together its initial narrative puzzle. There’s also a very good music score that sometimes overpowers some of the detailed and informative dialogue in these opening scenes. However, if one can get past some of this what results is a fairly satisfying and explosive journey by Harris to reach his ultimate destination.
One of the great characters in the film is the translator, Mohammad, who accompanies Harris on his trek. His goal is find out what happened to his wife’s sister but he really serves to center the narrative around the theme of home and returning to what makes all this war mess worthwhile. Mohammad is the heart of the film and is played by an excellent Navid Negahban who beautifully inhabits the warmth, commitment, and dedication of a character who is caught between two worlds: that which is his birth land and the life he has created for himself back in America. After many fast-moving chase scenes, Mohammad and Harris, have a heartfelt conversation about the importance of family. It’s a moving scene that gives Harris the extra needed boost to get his job done.
Visually the film offers less awe-inspiring beauty than more expansive landscapes thrust into the smoke and flames of war. Still, it is quite a region to behold. During one of the most intense scenes, Harris wears night vision goggles as he scopes out his enemies. This provides for a particularly unique perspective on Afghanistan that is no less than a magnificent terrain to see. The scene owes some of its terror and suspense to Alfred Hitchcock’s great North by Northwest in which Cary Grant is hunted down by a crop dusting plane. Here, Harris and Mohammed are in a night battle with a helicopter which is prolonged and almost equally terrifying.
Overall, Kandahar is an effective action thriller that will no doubt satisfy those hungry for a realistic modern war-related story that has something to say about human existence and why such fighting might feel personally important. It might not be breaking any major new ground but the film does what it does quite well.
Kandahar opens today in theaters everywhere.
FILM: KANDAHAR
DIRECTED BY: RIC ROMAN WAUGH
STARRING: GERARD BUTLER, NAVID NEGAHBAN, ALI FAZAL
RATING: 3 stars out of 4
By Dan Pal
During the opening scenes of Kandahar, Gerard Butler as Tom Harris, is involved in an intense “Trojan horse” situation in Qom, Iran. It is not immediately clear what the plan is or what is at stake but like a lot of action thrillers, these details get revealed in subsequent scenes. Ultimately this opening leads to a bombing in Iran that has an effect on a number of forces in Afghanistan, Dubai, and Pakistan. Harris then is invited on one more mission before he can return home to London for his daughter’s graduation.
Each of these facts makes up the basic plot of the film. There are a lot of players and countries involved with various agendas. Such a dense plot requires a bit of concentration and attention to piece together its initial narrative puzzle. There’s also a very good music score that sometimes overpowers some of the detailed and informative dialogue in these opening scenes. However, if one can get past some of this what results is a fairly satisfying and explosive journey by Harris to reach his ultimate destination.
One of the great characters in the film is the translator, Mohammad, who accompanies Harris on his trek. His goal is find out what happened to his wife’s sister but he really serves to center the narrative around the theme of home and returning to what makes all this war mess worthwhile. Mohammad is the heart of the film and is played by an excellent Navid Negahban who beautifully inhabits the warmth, commitment, and dedication of a character who is caught between two worlds: that which is his birth land and the life he has created for himself back in America. After many fast-moving chase scenes, Mohammad and Harris, have a heartfelt conversation about the importance of family. It’s a moving scene that gives Harris the extra needed boost to get his job done.
Visually the film offers less awe-inspiring beauty than more expansive landscapes thrust into the smoke and flames of war. Still, it is quite a region to behold. During one of the most intense scenes, Harris wears night vision goggles as he scopes out his enemies. This provides for a particularly unique perspective on Afghanistan that is no less than a magnificent terrain to see. The scene owes some of its terror and suspense to Alfred Hitchcock’s great North by Northwest in which Cary Grant is hunted down by a crop dusting plane. Here, Harris and Mohammed are in a night battle with a helicopter which is prolonged and almost equally terrifying.
Overall, Kandahar is an effective action thriller that will no doubt satisfy those hungry for a realistic modern war-related story that has something to say about human existence and why such fighting might feel personally important. It might not be breaking any major new ground but the film does what it does quite well.
Kandahar opens today in theaters everywhere.
