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12 Strong (2018)

12 Strong is a film about the declassified story of the first Special Forces team to enter into Afghanistan after the events of 9/11.

The film is directed by Nicolai Fuglsig in his first really big film. The film is shot like an action flick with hints of Black Hawk Down and 13 Hours. It's definitely a good first attempt. The writing is where the film goes a little awry.

Ted Tally is best known for writing The Silence of the Lams, but this film feels more the writing of Mission to Mars. There are good moments with the writing, like the relationship between the soldiers and Trevante Rhodes character with a young Afghan. Peter Craig is the other writer who has mostly done screenplays by this point and is slated to write the reboot for Top Gun. This makes me worried.

Chris Hemsworth gets to play a soldier who has never seen war and it makes sense for his casting. He doesn't sell being married to the beautiful Elsa Pataky. I didn't really buy him as the leader of this group, but his status would sell the movie more.

Michael Pena tries to recreate the character from Ant-man. My expectations for him have lowered, and that disappoints me.

Trevante Rhodes played the most believable soldier in the film and has this bond that develops with a young Afghan boy that was a small gem. If you saw him in Moonlight last year it really shows that he has earned his spot in any film.

Result: B (It's good, it's definitely not bad)

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