12 Strong - Wikipedia 12 Strong 12 Strong Theatrical release poster Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Molly Smith Thad Luckinbill Trent Luckinbill Written by Ted Tally Peter Craig Based on Horse Soldiers by Doug Stanton Starring Chris Hemsworth Michael Shannon Michael Peña Navid Negahban Trevante Rhodes Geoff Stults Thad Luckinbill Music by Lorne Balfe Cinematography Rasmus Videbæk Edited by Lisa Lassek Production companies Alcon Entertainment Black Label Media Jerry Bruckheimer Films Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures ( United States ) Lionsgate ( International ) Release date January 16, 2018 ( 2018 - 01 - 16 ) ( Jazz at Lincoln Center ) January 19, 2018 ( 2018 - 01 - 19 ) ( United States ) Running time 129 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $35 million Box office $70.5 million 12 Strong ( also known as 12 Strong : The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers ) is a 2018 American action war drama film directed by Nicolai Fuglsig and written by Ted Tally and Peter Craig. The film is based on Doug Stanton 's non-fiction book Horse Soldiers, which tells the story of U.S. Army Special Forces sent to Afghanistan immediately after the September 11 attacks. The film stars Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon, Michael Peña, Navid Negahban, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, William Fichtner, and Rob Riggle. Principal photography began in January 2017 in New Mexico. The film was released in the United States on January 19, 2018 by Warner Bros. Pictures, in standard and IMAX theaters. It received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the cast and action but criticized the by - the - numbers execution and lack of hindsight of the War in Afghanistan. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Development 3.2 Casting 3.3 Filming 3.4 Home media 4 Reception 4.1 Box office 4.2 Critical response 5 Related links 6 References 7 External links Plot Mitch Nelson ( Hemsworth ), a US Army Captain with Operational Detachment Alpha ( ODA ) 595, is moving into a new home with his wife and daughter on September 11, 2001, after receiving an assignment to staff duty under LTC Bowers ( Riggle ). As news of the devastating terrorist attacks that day break, Nelson volunteers to lead 595 into Afghanistan. Bowers initially refuses, but veteran soldier CW5 Hal Spencer ( Shannon ), previously scheduled to retire, persuades Bowers to give Nelson command of 595 again, as well as volunteering himself for the deployment. After leaving their families, 595 travels to Uzbekistan on October 7, 2001. After briefing and interviewing Nelson, 5th Special Forces Group Commander, COL Mulholland ( Fichtner ) selects 595 to fight alongside the Northern Alliance leader, Abdul Rashid Dostum ( Negahban ). Arriving covertly in Afghanistan aboard an MH - 47 Chinook, 595 arrives 30 miles south of Mazar - i Sharif and meets Dostum. Six of the 12 members, led by Nelson, leave with Dostum to the mountains, while the other six remain in a fortified camp nicknamed `` The Alamo '' under Spencer 's command. Dostum is attempting to capture Mazar - i Sharif, a critical city in northern Afghanistan, from the Taliban. He also holds a personal vendetta against Taliban leader Mullah Razzan ( Acar ), who rules local communities brutally under strict Sharia law, and has murdered several people, including Dostum 's family. Although the warlord is initially skeptical of Nelson 's abilities, Nelson gradually earns Dostum 's respect. In one battle, however, Dostum makes a tactical error, costing several casualties. Nelson accuses Dostum of acting carelessly with the lives of his men and of withholding valuable information, while Dostum retorts that he still feels that Nelson, and the U.S., is not willing to pay the potential price of the conflict, and tells Nelson that he needs to use his heart and mind to `` be a warrior '' instead of a soldier. The two eventually reconcile, and, after splitting off a three - man element under SFC Sam Diller ( Peña ) to strike a Taliban supply route, and being joined by Spencer 's half of ODA 595, continue to work together. They win several victories with Dostum 's leadership and manpower and American airpower, making significant progress towards Mazar - i Sharif. Suddenly, however, Spencer informs Nelson that another ODA, 555, has been dispatched to support Atta Muhammad, another Northern Alliance leader, who is Dostum 's political rival. When Nelson is forced to tell Dostum, the furious warlord and his men promptly abandon 595. Following Dostum 's departure, Nelson plans to continue operating against the Taliban with his Americans and the few Afghan fighters remaining with them. Encountering a large force of Al - Qaeda and Taliban fighters and armored vehicles, ODA 595, rejoined by Diller and his element, uses air support to eliminate many of the fighters and most of the armor, but are discovered and attacked. Spencer is critically injured by a suicide bomber, and the team is about to be overrun under heavy Taliban and Al - Qaeda pressure when Dostum returns with his forces. Together, the American and Northern Alliance forces disperse the Taliban and Al - Qaeda, and Dostum tracks down and kills Razzan. After Spencer is medevaced, Nelson and Dostum continue to Mazar - i - Sharif but find Atta Muhammad has beaten them there. Against expectations, Dostum and Muhammad meet peacefully and put aside their differences. Impressed by Nelson and the Americans ' efforts, Dostum gives Nelson his prized riding crop and tells him that he will always consider Nelson a brother and fellow fighter. Spencer ultimately survives, and ODA 595 returns home after spending 23 days in Afghanistan. Cast Chris Hemsworth as Captain Mitch Nelson, team commander, inspired by Mark Nutsch. Michael Shannon as Chief Warrant Officer 5 Hal Spencer, assistant team leader, inspired by Bob Pennington. Michael Peña as Sergeant First Class Sam Diller, team intelligence sergeant. Navid Negahban as General Abdul Rashid Dostum, the leader of the Alliance and later Vice President of Afghanistan Trevante Rhodes as Sergeant First Class Ben Milo, one of the members of Mitch 's team Geoff Stults as Sean Coffers, one of the members of Mitch 's team Thad Luckinbill as Vern Michaels, one of the members of Mitch 's team William Fichtner as Colonel John Mulholland, 5th Special Forces Group Commander Rob Riggle as Lieutenant Colonel Max Bowers, Commander of 3rd Battalion, 5th Special Forces Group Elsa Pataky as Jean Nelson, Mitch 's wife and Maddy 's mother Austin Stowell as Staff Sergeant Fred Falls, an American soldier on the team. Ben O'Toole as Scott Black, one of the members of Mitch 's team Austin Hébert as Master Sergeant Pat Essex Kenneth Miller as Kenny Jackson, one of the members of Mitch 's team Kenny Sheard as Sergeant First Class Bill Bennett, one of the members of Mitch 's team Jack Kesy as Charles Jones, one of the members of Mitch 's team Numan Acar as Mullah Razzan, Taliban military leader Ali Olomi as Afghan Man Fahim Fazli as Commander Khaled, one of the soldiers of Afghanistan 's Northern Alliance Production Development On December 2, 2011, it was announced that producer Jerry Bruckheimer had taken out the script by Ted Tally and rewritten by Peter Craig with Nicolai Fuglsig attached to direct, which was bought by Walt Disney Pictures in 2009 for Bruckheimer, based on Doug Stanton 's non-fiction book Horse Soldiers. On March 29, 2016, Deadline reported that Bruckheimer had officially hired Fuglsig to make his feature film directorial debut, which would be co-financed and produced by Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill through Black Label Media, along with Bruckheimer 's Jerry Bruckheimer Films. Casting On September 30, 2016, Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon were cast in the film, and later on November 1, Michael Peña also joined the film. On November 3, 2016, Trevante Rhodes was cast in the film. On November 14, 2016, Austin Stowell was cast in the film to play Staff Sergeant Fred Falls, an American soldier on the elite U.S. Special Forces team. Lionsgate would handle the film 's distribution. On November 15, 2016, Austin Hébert was cast to play SFC Pat Essex, the intellectual and engineer of the team, and the same day it was reported that Ben O'Toole had also been cast for an unspecified role. On November 17, 2016, Variety reported that Navid Negahban was cast to play General Abdul Rashid Dostum in the film. Elsa Pataky was revealed to be appearing in the film in December 2016, while on February 3, 2017, Deadline reported that Rob Riggle joined the film to play Army Lieutenant Colonel Max Bowers, under whom Riggle actually served while he was a Marine Captain. Filming Principal photography began in early January 2017 in New Mexico. Mines near Orogrande, New Mexico, were used. Later the shooting took place in Socorro, where it ended on January 26 after eight days of filming. The film was also shot in Alamogordo, using the White Sands National Monument as shooting location. The scenes involving military encampments were filmed using 20 structures leased from AKS Military, a private manufacturer of military shelters. Home Media Warner Bros. Home Entertainment released 12 Strong digitally April 10, and on Blu - ray Disc and DVD May 1. Blu - ray extras include the featurettes `` 12 Strong : The Making of an Impossible Mission '' and `` Monumental Effort : Building America 's Response Monument. '' Reception Box office 12 Strong grossed $45.5 million in the United States and Canada, and $24.1 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $69.6 million, against a production budget of $35 million. In the United States and Canada, 12 Strong was released on January 19, 2018 alongside Den of Thieves and Forever My Girl, as well as the wide expansions of Phantom Thread, I, Tonya and Call Me by Your Name, and was projected to gross $15 -- 20 million from 3,002 theaters in its opening weekend. It ended up debuting to $15.8 million, similar to the $16.1 million that war film 13 Hours : The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi opened to in January 2016, and finished second at the box office behind Jumanji : Welcome to the Jungle. According to ComScore, 55 % of the opening weekend audience was male, with 79 % being over the age of 25. The following week dropped 45 % to $8.6 million, finishing 6th at the box office. Critical Response On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 54 % based on 140 reviews, and an average rating of 5.6 / 10. The website 's critical consensus reads, `` 12 Strong has a solid cast, honorable intentions, and a thrilling, fact - based story -- all of which are occasionally enough to balance a disappointing lack of depth or nuance. '' On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 54 out of 100, based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating `` mixed or average reviews ''. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of `` A '' on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave an 81 % overall positive score and a 63 % `` definite recommend ''. Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun - Times gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars, saying, ``... with a running time of two hours and 10 minutes, 12 Strong has at least 20 minutes of scenes that are either unnecessary or repetitive... ( it ) winds up being an almost - good film about some great American soldiers. '' Matt Bobkin of Exclaim ! gave the film a 4 out of 10, calling it `` a lazy attempt at injecting something fresh into the 9 / 11 narrative. '' Related links 5th Special Forces Group America 's Response Monument References ^ Jump up to : `` Film releases ''. Variety Insight. Retrieved April 30, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Faughnder, Ryan ( January 17, 2018 ). `` Afghanistan war film ' 12 Strong ' to battle ' Jumanji ' reboot for top box - office spot ''. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 17, 2018. Jump up ^ `` 12 Strong ( 2018 ) ''. The Numbers. Retrieved August 3, 2018. Jump up ^ 12 STRONG - British Board of Film Classification Jump up ^ Jeff Giles ( January 18, 2018 ). `` 12 Strong is a Little Flimsy ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 20, 2018. Jump up ^ Williams, Brian Glyn ( 2017 - 01 - 04 ). `` The Hammer and the Horse. Chris Hemsworth ( Thor from Avengers Movies ), CIA, Green Berets and Afghanistan 's Most Feared Warlord Unite for Epic Movie ''. Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017 - 11 - 24. ^ Jump up to : Kroll, Justin ( September 30, 2016 ). `` Chris Hemsworth, Michael Shannon to Star in Afghanistan War Drama ' Horse Soldiers ' ''. Variety. Retrieved November 15, 2016. Jump up ^ `` How accurate is the 12 Strong movie ? Learn the true story and meet the real Horse Soldiers Special Forces team ''. History vs. Hollywood. 2018 - 01 - 14. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 03. ^ Jump up to : McNary, Dave ( November 1, 2016 ). `` AFM : Michael Pena Joins Chris Hemsworth in ' Horse Soldiers ' ''. Variety. Retrieved November 15, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Kroll, Justin ( November 17, 2016 ). `` Chris Hemsworth 's Afghanistan War Drama ' Horse Soldiers ' Adds ' Homeland 's ' Navid Negahban ''. Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Kit, Borys ( November 3, 2016 ). `` ' Moonlight ' Star Trevante Rhodes to Join Chris Hemsworth in ' Horse Soldiers ' ( Exclusive ) ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 15, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Jr, Mike Fleming ( February 3, 2017 ). `` Rob Riggle To Play His Former Army Commander In ' Horse Soldiers ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 8, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Symonds, Kristy ( December 7, 2016 ). `` Hemsworth 's love spills on to screen ''. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved February 8, 2017. ^ Jump up to : N'Duka, Amanda ( November 14, 2016 ). `` Austin Stowell Cast In ' Horse Soldiers ' ; Rahart Adams Boards ' Pacific Rim ' Sequel ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2016. ^ Jump up to : Kroll, Justin ( November 15, 2016 ). `` ' Hacksaw Ridge 's ' Ben O'Toole Joins Chris Hemsworth in ' Horse Soldiers ' ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2017. ^ Jump up to : N'Duka, Amanda ( November 15, 2016 ). `` ' Horse Soldiers ' Recruits Austin Hébert ; ' Papillon ' Remake Adds Nina Senicar ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 16, 2016. Jump up ^ `` Fahim Fazli with Chris Hemsworth `` Horse soldiers '' ``. Youtube. 22 December 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017. Jump up ^ Jr, Mike Fleming ( December 2, 2011 ). `` Jerry Bruckheimer On The Pitch Circuit With Afghanistan War Tale ' Horse Soldiers ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2016. Jump up ^ Jaafar, Ali ( March 29, 2016 ). `` Jerry Bruckheimer Taps Nicolai Fuglsig To Direct Afghan War Pic ' Horse Soldiers ' For Lionsgate ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 15, 2016. Jump up ^ Turner, Scott ( January 26, 2017 ). `` Horse Soldiers to wrap up here ''. El Defensor Chieftain. Retrieved February 7, 2017. Jump up ^ Turner, Scott ( February 2, 2017 ). `` Show biz booming : State pulls in film industry dollars ''. El Defensor Chieftain. Retrieved February 7, 2017. Jump up ^ `` ' Horse Soldiers ', starring Chris Hemsworth, is set to begin filming at New Mexico 's White Sands National Monument, as well as at the Los Lunas Volcano in Los Lunas, from late January to early February ''. On Location Vacations. January 13, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017. Jump up ^ `` '' Horse Soldiers '' film still searching for extras ``. Las Cruces Sun - News. January 7, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Movies That Have Featured Alaska Structures Military Systems ''. AKS Military. Retrieved 26 January 2018. Jump up ^ Latchem, John ( March 6, 2018 ). `` Warner Prepping ' 12 Strong ' for Home Video Release ''. Media Play News. Retrieved May 2, 2018. Jump up ^ `` 12 Strong ( 2018 ) ''. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 7, 2018. ^ Jump up to : D'Alessandro, Anthony ( January 21, 2018 ). `` January Slows As ' Jumanji ' Takes No. 1 For 3rd Weekend With $19 M To $20 M ; Older Guy Pics ' 12 Strong ' & ' Den Of Thieves ' In Mid-Teens ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2018. Jump up ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony ( January 28, 2018 ). `` Fox Controls Close To 40 % Of Weekend B.O. Led By ' Maze Runner ' & Oscar Holdovers ; ' Hostiles ' Gallops Past $10 M ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2018. Jump up ^ `` 12 Strong ( 2018 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 12, 2018. Jump up ^ `` 12 Strong Reviews ''. Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved January 20, 2018. Jump up ^ Roeper, Richard ( January 17, 2018 ). `` The war horsemen ride to Afghanistan 's rescue in cliché collection ' 12 Strong ' ''. Chicago Sun Times. Retrieved January 18, 2018. Jump up ^ Matt Bobkin ( January 17, 2018 ). `` 12 Strong Review ( 2018 ) ''. Exclaim !. Retrieved January 18, 2018. External links Official website 12 Strong, Warner Bros. website 12 Strong on IMDb 12 Strong at AllMovie Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Farewell, My Lovely ( 1975 ) March or Die ( 1977 ) Defiance ( 1980 ) American Gigolo ( 1980 ) Thief ( 1981 ) Young Doctors in Love ( 1982 ) Flashdance ( 1983 ) Beverly Hills Cop ( 1984 ) Thief of Hearts ( 1984 ) Top Gun ( 1986 ) Beverly Hills Cop II ( 1987 ) Days of Thunder ( 1990 ) Dangerous Minds ( 1995 ) Crimson Tide ( 1995 ) Bad Boys ( 1995 ) The Rock ( 1996 ) Con Air ( 1997 ) Enemy of the State ( 1998 ) Armageddon ( 1998 ) Remember the Titans ( 2000 ) Coyote Ugly ( 2000 ) Gone in 60 Seconds ( 2000 ) Pearl Harbor ( 2001 ) Black Hawk Down ( 2001 ) Bad Company ( 2002 ) Bad Boys II ( 2003 ) Pirates of the Caribbean : The Curse of the Black Pearl ( 2003 ) Veronica Guerin ( 2003 ) Kangaroo Jack ( 2003 ) National Treasure ( 2004 ) King Arthur ( 2004 ) Just Legal ( 2005 ) Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Man 's Chest ( 2006 ) Déjà Vu ( 2006 ) Glory Road ( 2006 ) Pirates of the Caribbean : At World 's End ( 2007 ) National Treasure : Book of Secrets ( 2007 ) G - Force ( 2009 ) Confessions of a Shopaholic ( 2009 ) Prince of Persia : The Sands of Time ( 2010 ) The Sorcerer 's Apprentice ( 2010 ) Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides ( 2011 ) The Lone Ranger ( 2013 ) Deliver Us from Evil ( 2014 ) Pirates of the Caribbean : Dead Men Tell No Tales ( 2017 ) 12 Strong ( 2018 ) Gemini Man ( 2019 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=12_Strong&oldid=854042803 '' Categories : 2018 films English - language films American films American war drama films 2010s drama films 2010s war films Directorial debut films Drama films based on actual events Films about terrorism Films based on the September 11 attacks Films set in Afghanistan Films set in the 2000s Films shot in New Mexico Films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer United States Army Special Forces in films War adventure films Action war films War films based on actual events War in Afghanistan ( 2001 -- present ) films Warner Bros. films Films based on non-fiction books Hidden categories : Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français 한국어 Italiano Bahasa Melayu 日本 語 Norsk Português Русский Српски / srpski Svenska ไทย 粵語 中文 9 more Edit links This page was last edited on 8 August 2018, at 15 : 35 ( UTC ). 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Question: how much did it cost to make 12 strong
Answer: $35 million