12 Strong **

Rating: 4/10 (31 January 2018)

The true life story of how after 9/11 the U.S government sent a group of 12 special forces members on a mission to take a Taliban hot spot within 3 weeks.
Chris Hemsworth (Thor) leads the charge with a excellent supporting cast with Micheal Shannon (The Shape of Water),Micheal Pena (End Of Watch) and Navid Negahban (Homeland).

The story itself is captivating but the mistake here is the telling the story as commercial as possible this could have a been a TV movie by the Producers Bruckhiemer's company that tel the film as if it was one. This is a American story the error is Americanising the telling of it in the usual fashion. If they could have told the story in a independent gritty way it could have been totally absorbing.

Mel Gibson made big choices of how Hacksaw Ridge would have to play out in two halves and the second is full out absorbing horrific war. Spielberg made Saving Private Ryan visually

12 Strong features almost TV coverage from the swirling aerials, pans and dolls shots by fails to have a distinctive independent style or vibe.

The film's true life story is well worth telling and in the hands of someone like Joe Carnahan (Narc) for instance it could have really found it's tone.

By trying to look and feel like every other commercial film it loses chance to be truly original like it's source story.

One sequence in particular where the soldiers charge the Taliban with missiles flying over their heads is a thrilling set piece. This shot POV or Normandy Beach style from Saving Private Ryan's opening could have been a masterpiece of a cinematic battle.

A by the numbers style war film of a truly remarkable achievement. It's not a bad film by any means it just fails to be as remarkable as the achievement that was made in the story. If the filmmakers had been as fearless as the real life heroes who knows how daring this could have been.
A nice touch is showing the statue dedicated to the soldiers at the 9/11 site, fitting tribute.