I miss John Wayne but Chris Hemsworth is infinitely better looking

Rating: Null/10 (14 April 2018)

What makes this Hollywood-good-old-days war movie stand out is clearly evident in the title of the source material, the book "Horse Soldiers". Incredible as it seems, this 21st century cavalry story is true, and the depiction in the movie stays close to the facts, allowing scattered artistic/dramatic enhancements here and there. In any event, watching warriors (in whatever century, or even prior) charging like a whirlwind on horseback has an appeal that is eternal. In this particular movie, pain has been taken to highlight the facts that Afghan worriers rely on horses not only for transport, but also for combat. When U.S. soldiers express concern that the horses might panic at the U.S. air support strike, they are assured "horses know these are American bombs."
The linear narration is uncomplicated. In the immediate aftermath of 911, it is painfully clear that if Al-Qaida continues to use Afghanistan as a terrorist training camp, more similar attacks will follow. The mission of the first troop of U.S. soldiers to target Afghanistan, 12 to be exact, is to work with local warlord general Dostum (Navid Negahban) to capture Mazar-i-Sharif, a Taliban stronghold. The formidable military task, verging on a mission impossible, is not the only challenge. Dostum is one of the three warlords in what is called a "Northern Alliance" launching this 3-prong attack. But any two of these 3 warlords, if they encounter each other during the operation, may well suspend fighting Taliban and instead try to kill each other. Politics in the best vintage!
Heading up this mission-almost-impossible is Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), who is intelligent, impeccably trained, physically superb, strategically insightful, in a word the perfect man for the job. There is only one catch, he has zero battlefield experience. Even when his men trust him with their lives, warlord Dotsum's initial reaction to this temporary partner is all but predictable. Equally predictable is the gradual development of mutual respect of these two men. Dotsum gives Nelson a few tips such as "stop being a soldier and be a warrior". Nelson in return counsels Dotsum of the importance of putting aside tribal rivalry in light of the big picture of fighting Taliban. This sequence is done very well in the movie and, in the ending credits, the audience is informed that to this day, these two men remain good friends.
A better for-entertainment war movie I have not seen for a long time. The heroism is crystallized upfront just before the airdrop to Afghanistan, in the lyrics of a song shared by the 12 "....100 men we test today but only three will win the Green Beret". Well-paced action set pieces a paraded through the movie, climaxing in the exciting, rousing charge of the "21st century cavalry" to demolish a powerful rocket launcher behind enemy line.
There is good buddy chemistry between a solid Hemsworth and two veterans (in the movie context), Michael Shannon playing experienced Hal Spencer and Michael Pena playing jovial Sam Diller. But it is Negahban who steals the show. Even the great Omar Sharif could not have done a better job.