"The Outpost"
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On Netflix...
True story of a small outpost in Afghanistan which comes under repeated attacks by the Taliban.
In 2006, PRT Kamdesh – later renamed Combat Outpost Keating – was one of several U.S. Army outposts established in Northern Afghanistan. Located in a remote valley surrounded by the Hindu Kush mountains, the base was regarded as a deathtrap; the troops stationed there faced regular Taliban attacks, culminating in one of the bloodiest American engagements of Operation Enduring Freedom. The film tells the story of the 53 U.S. soldiers and two Latvian military advisors who battled some 300 enemy insurgents at the Battle of Kamdesh.
High production values, and pretty good acting. Orlando Bloom was surprisingly good.
But...
I never felt that I connected with any of the characters. They all seemed interchangeable, with nothing differentiating one from another. Despite the horrible injuries suffered by many, it left me cold.
Another thing. The final battle, which takes about 45 minutes of the two hour movie seems strangely disjointed. You never get a feel for who is who, what the strategy, such as it is, is. Granted, the chaos of such a battle is to be expected, but I found it frustrating.
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Have you seen Restrepo, George? Very highly recommended.
