DUTY GOES BEYOND BATTLEFIELD. Danish soldiers are under increasing pressure while serving in Afghanistan; one day when they’re ambushed, their commander (Pilou Asbaek) makes a fateful decision… A drama reminiscent of the director’s A Hijacking (2012), which was also set in a foreign country and presented its lead characters with moral dilemmas. Every attempt to … Continue reading A War
WE’RE GOING TO LIBERATE THE SHIT OUT OF YOU. After a successful tour in Iraq, four-star general Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt) is relocated to Afghanistan to help steer that war in the right direction. Former documentary filmmaker David Michôd adapted the book that chronicled General Stanley McChrystal’s time in Afghanistan (which ended in his dismissal), … Continue reading War Machine
War photographer Rebecca Thomas (Juliette Binoche) is seriously injured during a suicide attack in Kabul, and promises her husband (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) back in Ireland to never go back to another conflict. Director Erik Poppe based his drama on personal experiences from when he was working as a war photographer. Apart from asking the usual questions … Continue reading A Thousand Times Good Night
LIVE TO TELL THE STORY. In June, 2005, four Navy SEALS are sent on a mission in Afghanistan’s Kunar province to kill a Taliban leader, but everything goes wrong… This fact-based account was made on the cheap, but director Peter Berg nevertheless paints a credible portrait of Navy SEALS and the claustrophobic, desperate battle that … Continue reading Lone Survivor
THE GREATEST MANHUNT IN HISTORY. The portrayal of torture in Zero Dark Thirty has sparked a fierce debate, but those Academy members who are boycotting the film tread on thin ice. Perhaps they should reserve their ire for a movie that is clearly guilty of the accusation? Kathryn Bigelow has definitely come out against torture, … Continue reading Zero Dark Thirty: The End of the Sheik
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A LETTER THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING? In 2001, John and Savannah (Channing Tatum, Amanda Seyfried) meet and fall in love, but their relationship is tested at the start of the Afghanistan War when John decides to re-enlist. It’s very hard to see what Lasse Hallström saw in this simple romantic story, … Continue reading Dear John
THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY FAMILY. Marine Captain Sam Cahill (Tobey Maguire) leaves his wife and children for a tour in Afghanistan; when he’s reported killed, his screw-up brother (Jake Gyllenhaal) becomes almost a surrogate father. This drama has the potential of greatness, but anyone looking for the real deal should check out the original, … Continue reading Brothers
When Connie Nielsen agreed to star in Susanne Bier’s Brothers, it was to become her first experience working in the Danish film industry. Born and raised in Denmark, she left the country at the age of 18 and went to Paris where she worked as an actress and a model. Eventually, she ended up in the … Continue reading Brothers: Reasons to Live
At the same time as the U.S. begins bombing Afghanistan in October 2001, four Pakistani Britons go to Pakistan for a wedding, but eventually end up as detainees at Guantanamo. When you start watching this reality-based docudrama the first emotion you’re likely to have is irritation at the irresponsible and naive behavior of the leads … Continue reading The Road to Guantanamo
IF YOU DON’T STAND FOR SOMETHING, YOU MIGHT FALL FOR ANYTHING. With this film Robert Redford wants to make Americans think harder about the times they live in and what they can do for their country. Parts of the film are structured like a play, with conversations between a Republican senator and a liberal journalist … Continue reading Lions for Lambs
IT WAS AN EVENT THAT SHOCKED THE WORLD. THIS IS THE STORY YOU HAVEN’T HEARD. Director Michael Winterbottom followed his The Road to Guantanamo (2006) with another compelling look at people who get caught up in the politics of the post-9/11 world. This film is Mariane Pearl’s own story of what happened when her husband, … Continue reading A Mighty Heart
