Kilo Two Bravo

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source: Kilo Two Bravo

There are far too few films about the Afghanistan/ Iraq conflict and "Kajaki" is a worthy effort to redress that imbalance. Low budget, and with a cast without big names, authenticity is the quality which seeps through every blood stained pore of this story. Filmed in Jordan, the heat and landscape convince. No attempt is made to comment on the politics of why they are there. There are no bad guys versus good guys, just a small patrol of soldiers who find themselves trapped in an unmarked Soviet era minefield. The dialogue is salty, laced with trooper black humour, the action limited to a handful of explosions. The drama is wholly one of their unpredictable, entrapment of unseen danger. Although the heroism of all involved is impressive, the camaraderie heart-warming, this soldier's tale stops well short of greatness. Attention to detail, eschewing dramatic opportunity ,results in a strangely muted affair. An American film would have had a Taleban attack bravely repulsed, evil locals getting their comeuppance with a mass Black Hawk strike, and intra group tensions resolved with the quiet guy coming good. As a film which portrays the casual violence of war, and how soldiers deal with it, the result is admirable. But the dialogue is not quite good enough, or the drama and sense of jeopardy sufficiently pressing, for this to reach classic status.

I read the great reviews in the press and felt I had to see the movie for myself which I did today. An amazing movie, a landmark experience. I laughed, had tears in my eyes, held myself with the tension. This has to. Be one of the best pieces of UK cinema making for a very long time. No one left until the lights went up and the credits ended. How often does that ever happen. A stunning review is indeed required. Everyone should not miss the opportunity to see this. There is no political messaging but you make up your own mind up. The most important impression you leave with is the power of camaraderie and how extraordinary situations can be all about strength of character that shows up who can be depended on. All superbly crafted. Award winning!!

The film is definitely very, very realistic; and that is what makes it very, very boring. With all respect for the real victims of that action, I am still bound to review a movie, and the paradox is that the movie pays a big price to hyper-realism; essentially, you see three men jumping on three mines on a goat track at the bottom of a valley in Afghanistan, and you then spend a hour and half watching them suffer, bleed, scream. The camera indulges very often in very realistic and crude close up of truncated legs, arms, fingers and various injuries. The reality of the action must have been absolutely dramatic, and the courage of some of the soldiers remarkable; unfortunately, this does not make a good movie.

Yes this is realistic and, yes it's based on a true story. But this just didn't work. We get an introduction to our characters with a lot of troop dialogue, some of it incomprehensible due to the accents. Anyway, after we see the settings and the stark mountainous scenery our soldiers go out on a patrol. They step into a minefield. One fellow lies screaming in agony, as we would expect. Then after an interlude another soldier steps on mine. At this stage, we know war is hell and soldiers fall into dire and hopeless situations. But it really becomes excruciating and repetitive – and it drags on for at least an hour. I started fast- forwarding and it was almost like the same scenes kept being repeated. It just became too much – the screaming, the blood, the gushing limbs, the tourniquets applied...

Whatever your views on the war in Afghanistan, this film is an absolute must see. It does not seek to glamorise the cause or glorify the British and American forces. It does not say "them bad us good", and conversely it does not say the allies were arrogant pricks, barging in to a country without rhyme or reason. To do so would miss the real point of the film: which is love, love through adversity. We meet a team of British soldiers holding a position against the Taliban somewhere above the Kajaki dam. However, the presence of the Taliban is merely peripheral and during the course of the film they instead face four very apposite enemies: boredom; incompetence; lack of resources; and a valley full of old Russian land mines. What holds them together through the hardships they endure, both very real and perceived, is love – and lots and lots of banter. Kajaki does away with the traditional paraphernalia of war films: billowing musical scores, slow-mos, and poignant flashbacks. Quite simply, it doesn't have to, because it isn't one. Instead we are given a film that is clear, crisp and clean; that is relentless, remorseless and uncompromising. The acting is impeccable, the direction and production sublime. It is tense, tragic, uplifting and heart-breaking all at once. Quite simply, it is a love story: love for your country, love for the job, love for your mates. Go see it and be prepared to have your mind blown open by what true love can achieve.

First of all, I like realistic war movies. Stalingrad is a great example. But this one I would not call a 'war movie'. It could have just as good have taken place in Central Europe and the cast would have been children. I know what can take place in a mine field. I read many books about warfare when I studied history (specialized in WW2). Minefields have always been ugly. There are a lot of maimed children in Cambodia to tell a horrific tale. But… this movie just did not grab me. They get in the minefield by accident early on. Some go off. People get hurt. People get scared. And that's about it. Minefields... Ugly? Yes, they certainly are. Movie material? Hmm, maybe. But this is not one of them.

This is a exciting, engaging, harrowing and uplifting film. It is also unique amongst contemporary war films, as far as I know. It bisects perfectly the ground between the enslaved 'dramatic reenactment' on one side and the mendacious 'based-on-real-events' springboard to fantasy on the other, creating a film that sticks to the facts but transcends them as well, showing universal truths and insights that, dare I say it, art should. The characters are strong and engaging, the pace is perfect and the strength of those involved and tragedy of situation brought tears to eyes in between hang wringing tension and leaps from the seat. I slunk lower and lower into my seat as the inevitable yet still terrifying events loomed over me. And on top of that, it looks like a £20 - £40 million film - not once did I spot decisions made for budgetary reasons (excellent VFX btw as well as SFX). It's an outstanding, award-winning (it deserves them, anyway) film and was well worth all the blood (mostly fake, I hope), sweat (indeed there is much sweaty torso-ed musculature on show here) and tears (to add to mine) that must have gone in to it's making. GO SEE THIS FILM.

I like war films. Not because I like war, but since it happens I'd like to know more about it. This film isn't like "Platoon", "Hamburger Hill", "Saving Private Ryan" or any other such "Movies". This film isn't like a movie at all. It is so real that it sucks you into every moment as though you were actually there. After the character development, I was literally on the edge of my seat, with my elbows on my knees with my hands holding my cheeks. I saw it at home, so thankfully I was able to pause it to make a cocktail; I needed one because it was that serious. Other war films I have seen and liked; they seem like popcorn fodder compared to this one. I was so engrossed in the progression and actually became angry at war itself like I have never felt before. I wasn't aware it was a true story until the end credits and I cried then. I was emotional throughout the film, not even knowing this. It was so real that I talked not only to myself, but to the characters I was watching. Thankfully, there were no "shaky cameras" like "Inglorious Bastards", making it easy to concentrate on what was really going on. What was going on was disturbing and humbling at the same time. Every scene and every incidence was relevant. I don't even call this film a "movie", because it is better than that. I have never given 10/10 to any film and rarely write reviews, but this one is deserving of a 15/10 if that were possible. If you have any reservations about watching this film, cast them aside and view it. Every aspect of what a perfect film would be about is included in this one. It's not a family film or for those who faint easily. It is gripping, extremely graphic, truthful and simply a masterpiece of cinema. It is deserving of the Academy Award for "Best Picture", "Best Director", "Best Screenplay", "Best Actor", Best Supporting Actor", "Best Cinematography", "Best Editing", "Best Makeup", and of all the films I have ever seen, I put this one on the top of my list, and that isn't an easy feat. With my child love of the "Wizard Of Oz" and my insatiable lust for "Star Trek" and "Star Wars", this film has dethroned all of them. This is the best film I have ever seen in my life.