12 Strong: The Horse Soldiers
7 years ago
General
In eternity, where there is no time, nothing can grow. Nothing can become. Nothing changes. So death created time to grow the things that it would kill and you are reborn but into the same life that you've always been born into.
Or something like that, it's gone through some title changes I think. This movie was based on the real life account of the "Horse Soldiers", members of an Army Special Force ODA (Operational Detachment Alpha) immediately following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I finally saw this movie and thought it was pretty decent once it got going. My biggest gripe with it is the absolute horse shit (pun 100% intended) family drama. I seriously fucking hate when these movies try to play up the whole "family's upset because I gotta go to war" thing. I understand it's a reality for some people, but I don't appreciate the kind of cringey shit it brings to the movies.
All in all, it's a pretty serviceable movie, definitely worth a watch. My expectations of it were met well enough, which was...well, I think in the hands of a more ambitious production team (director, writer, etc.) this movie could have been another Lawrence of Arabia. Sweeping shots of landscapes, outsiders getting a very intimate look at another culture in a strange land during a time of war and seeing first hand the ugly hardships they have to face, an intermission, the works. They don't really make movies like that anymore. That really makes me sad because I think those would be great experiences with today's technology.
All in all, it's a pretty serviceable movie, definitely worth a watch. My expectations of it were met well enough, which was...well, I think in the hands of a more ambitious production team (director, writer, etc.) this movie could have been another Lawrence of Arabia. Sweeping shots of landscapes, outsiders getting a very intimate look at another culture in a strange land during a time of war and seeing first hand the ugly hardships they have to face, an intermission, the works. They don't really make movies like that anymore. That really makes me sad because I think those would be great experiences with today's technology.
FA+

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