War movies have popped up in every way throughout the years, good and bad, and in between, but I know the difference, and the Rod Lurie set in Afghanistan. The outpost It is top of the line. If exceptional works as The wounded wardrobe and Dunkirk We have defined what is good in the genre in recent years, this heartbreaking look from the Battle of Kamdesh 2009 belongs to that conversation.
If there ever was a movie that screamed in theaters, this is it, with impeccable sound and cinematography (by Lorenzo Senatore), but unfortunately the coronavirus pandemic has altered those plans. Although distributor Screen Media expects some theaters across the country, it will head to VOD on Friday. Originally The outpost It should have premiered at South by Southwest, and then as a national Fathom event, but real life stepped in.
Real life, and the horrors of war, are on the agenda here as well, as Lurie and her screenwriters Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson adapt CNN presenter Jake Tapper’s 2012 best seller. The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor. Now, thanks to her book and the gripping film Lurie has created, she is no longer “incalculable.”
It tells the story of perhaps the bloodiest battle in the seemingly endless Afghanistan War, in which a unit of some 53 soldiers was placed in an impossible position that they should never have been subjected to in a place known as Combat Outpost Keating. Surrounded by three steep mountains, it became a shooting gallery when 400 Taliban emerged to confront the Americans basically trapped there.
Jake Tapper talks about ‘The Outpost’ and what he says about America’s ongoing mission in Afghanistan: questions and answers
Orlando Bloom plays First Lieutenant Benjamin Keating, the commander in charge who is ordered to close the position, but first they have to move a heavy truck so that it can be used elsewhere. It becomes a treacherous task, and the soldiers were also not informed of impending plans to leave the outpost. Before that can be done, all hell breaks loose when they are attacked.
The second half of the two-hour movie is devoted almost entirely to the horrendous battle that ensues. In some ways, it echoes the fight for the Alamo, a last stand for brave men in an impossible situation. The pure art of cinema here is exceptional, as Lurie opts for long continuous shots that put us in the middle of war. It is a very effective technique that fortunately does not draw attention to itself, but it almost gives the film a documentary feel.
It helps that Lurie has chosen the film so well, with Bloom, Scott Eastwood as the brave and arrogant Sergeant. Romesha and an outstanding performance by Caleb Landry Jones as Specialist Ty Carter. Romesha and Carter received the Medal of Honor, but the entire Bravo Troop 3-61 unit should have received it, too. Others in the cast include some of the real-life participants in the battle, including Henry Hughes and Daniel Rodríguez, a nice touch that gives the film more authenticity.
Interestingly, the film has several actors whose last names you might know, such as Eastwood, Clint’s son; James Jagger, Mick’s son; Milo Gibson, Mel’s son; Scott Alda Coffey, grandson of Alan Alda; and Will Attenborough, Richard’s grandson. Lurie himself has a military background and went to West Point, and clearly his goal here is to honor warriors in a hopeless hell they should never have been subjected to. The circumstance of putting this unit there was embarrassing, but Lurie’s focus is for these soldiers to give everything they have and do it with honor. This movie honors they. I guarantee that during the last hour you will forget to breathe. You must see it.
Marc Frydman, Jeffrey Greenstein, Paul Merryman, Les Weldon, Jonathan Yunger and Tamasy are producers of the Millennium production. Check out my video review at the link above with scenes from the movie.
Do you plan to see The outpost? Let us know what you think.
‘The Outpost’ trailer: US troops challenge long odds in Afghan war thriller based on Jake Tapper’s book
