Blu-ray Review: 12 Strong
By John Corrado
★★★ (out of 4)
Based on the true story of the Horse Soldiers, 12 Strong follows the Special Forces team led by Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) that was deployed to Afghanistan directly following 9/11, and tasked with forging an alliance with an Afghan warlord (Navid Negahban) in order to help take down the Taliban and reclaim the occupied city of Mazar-i-Sharif.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, 12 Strong delivers pretty much exactly what you expect, and I mostly mean that in a good way. The film would have benefitted from fleshing out more of the characters, as many of them are left to feel like archetypes, but it’s still a well made film that works in both the action sequences and quieter dramatic moments.
The ensemble cast does fine work, led by a solid turn from Chris Hemsworth, and the action is very well staged. The climactic battle with the soldiers on horseback as they descend upon Mazar-i-Sharif – which gave them their nickname – has been excitingly recreated here, and provides a satisfying payoff. This is a decent modern war movie, that does a fine job of recounting this true story, while paying tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of these soldiers.
The Blu-ray also includes the two featurettes 12 Strong: The Making of An Impossible Mission and Monumental Effort: Building America’s Response Monument.
12 Strong is a Warner Bros. Home Entertainment release. It’s 130 minutes and rated 14A.
