12 Strong
/"On September 11, 2001 the world watched in terror. On September 12, 2001 they volunteered to fight."
Filmology Rating: 2.5 out of 4
It’s fair to say that 9/11 is one of the most important events of the United States history. Sadly it will always be one of the darkest days of our history. In many ways it is also one of the most inspiring moments of our lifetime, seeing an entire country come together in strength in a moment that was meant to install fear into our very core.
After the United States was attacked on 9/11 many men and women in the military asked what they could do to help to combat those who attacked us. 12 Strong is the story of one of the most successful bombing missions conducted after the towers fell.
As I always mention when reviewing a military based film or war film, I’m not a fan of the United States military. I believe we haven’t fought in a war worth fighting since WWII and I’m not one of those people who believes that the military deserves special treatment for doing a job that they signed up to do. While I can anticipate the complaints for those statements. I feel that I should always state my mindset the best that I can when walking into a film. It’s only fair to myself and to those reading this review.
Character development in the film is nonexistent, the characters that you end the film with are the exact same characters you started the film with. Watching a film where characters don’t grow is incredibly boring and it doesn’t help captivate the audience into the struggles that the characters are dealing with. All of the ‘American’ characters are one dimensional with Chris Hemsworth being the macho military man who knows better than the rest and Michael Peña being the comedic man with a heart of gold. Those are the only two characters who have personalities, the rest are blank slates that offer no reason to connect with them, which is something that will never work for me. I don’t empathize with the doctor who gives a sick patient medicine; I don’t empathize with the lawyer for defending a client; these are people who are getting paid to do a job. While I can say they did a good job at doing their job, that doesn’t mean that they deserve my empathy.
The only character who I felt had some dimension and actually had an arc in the film was General Dostum played by Navid Negahban. While the script by Ted Tally, who also wrote The Silence of the Lambs, and Peter Craig, who was one of the co-writers of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and Part 2, doesn’t give Negahban much to chew on, but he still creates a character who captivates the audience. His unpredictability is probably the aspect that makes him so captivating. He still has a strong moral code that he follows. Once you come to understand what makes him tick you get a better grasp of his end goals.
An aspect of the film that I was thrilled to see added into the film was how those we team up with in Afghanistan, or the Middle East in general, are “one day our friend, the next our enemy”. While this isn’t a novel concept it’s interesting to see a film say that the United States might be helping to create the next group of warlords in the Middle East without realizing it. With the United States military it’s all about the actions now rather than how how they will play out in the future. The film barely touches on this aspect for Colonel Mulholland played by William Fichtner, and it’s completely abandoned after its brought up. I can understand the appeal of making a film about the Horseman, their story is truly inspiring, but I’m struggling to comprehend what they actually accomplished. The film sells the victory as the biggest lost that the Taliban has had to date but they still reign over the Middle East along with ISIS. This is clearly the moment where real life is affecting the story that is being told on screen. The film invites criticism when it establishes before the movie gets going that the movie is “based on a true story”.
The final showdown of the film is where the film truly shows that it’s being directed by a first time director. Nicolai Fuglsig tries to show how epic the charge by the Horseman is by using many different camera angles that are distracting from the action that is occuring. Since the actions being depicted are rather incredible to watch, it would seem more effective to watch them play out in a simple way rather than from at least four different angles. At times the more simplistic way is the more effective way to make the story more compelling and engaging.
12 Strong is a film that is well intended and completely earnest, but it falls apart when focusing on the actual men involved with the daring mission. The men are clearly good at doing their job but the film fails to explore the repercussions of their actions; both as men and as a military success. The story itself is strong and compelling but it fails with flat character development and a poorly paced story.
Rating: Rent It
-Jonny G