By Max Rosenberg
Theme Editor
The newest war film “12 Strong” entices watchers with exciting action, an important plot, and a talented cast.
“12 Strong” depicted a topic not shown before, which added to the intrigue of the plot. The story set on historical backdrop creates a more interesting tale than a common fictional war story, and the extraordinary action and acting which depicted the tension between the Americans and Afghans made it even better.
The movie stars Chris Hemsworth as Mitch Nelson, the Captain of the first Special Forces group to enter Afghanistan after 9/11, which worked alongside a Afghani warlord in an effort to combat the Taliban. The film, directed by Nicolai Fuglsig also stars major actors such as Michael Peña and Michael Shannon.
Another exciting aspect of “12 Strong” is the phenomenal action sequences, the most impressive being those in which geared-up U.S. soldiers ride into battle on horses to face the Taliban. The switch between slower negotiations and fast-paced battle scenes keeps viewers entertained and adds to the flow of the movie overall.
In addition, the acting was impressive, and the actors were able to convey the historical characters seriously enough to reflect the circumstances that they were living in. Despite some poor writing the actors were able to deliver their lines successfully.
One issue which takes away from the otherwise powerful film, is the number of cheesy jokes. It is one thing to lighten the mood, but filling a movie about post-9/11 combat in the middle east with forced humor is harmful to the overall content of “12 Strong”. Luckily, the quality of other scenes out way the poor comedy and reinforce the film’s strengths.
Overall, “12 Strong” is a superbly interesting movie that grasps the attention of the audience and offers a gripping storyline that fits well with the interesting characters and compelling acting.
“12 Strong” was released Jan. 19, is rated R, and is currently playing in movie theaters nationwide.
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