Gerard Butler’s war movie is the opposite of fun
Johnny Oleksinski films by Johnny Oleksinski May 25, 2023 Gerard Butler's war movie, Kandahar, is a grueling and impenetrable thriller that focuses on the hunt for CIA agent Tom Harris. Before Harris escapes, he poses as a utility worker in Iran while trying to destroy a nuclear plant. The duo races through the desert, pursued by Afghan special forces and a motorcyclist named Kahil. Many of the sharpest criticisms of the Taliban and terrorist organizations are expressed through khail, a head-scratching job by a murderous mercenary. The finale of the movie is marked by a massive explosion.
Published : a week ago by hostingerhost01 in Entertainment
Starring Gerard Butler, Kandahar is the kind of textureless thriller that sounds like it was musically recorded by a subwoofer.
The bass never stops blaring as grizzled men grimace and whisper earnestly about matters of extreme seriousness, and the simple story of a race against time is tied into an impossibly confusing knot.
Director Rick Roman Waugh’s film swings and whimpers through Iran, the United Arab Emirates and ultimately Afghanistan as the hunt for CIA agent Tom Harris (Butler) intensifies.
Kandahar, to its credit, aspires to be deep.
Geopolitics, as well as the Taliban’s distorted interpretation of the Qur’an, appear alongside ISIS and other satellites of US wars in the Middle East.
In truth, though, it’s just another grueling and impenetrable Gerard Butler movie, in which no event seems to matter more than the next – and misstep is a drama.
Before Harris escapes, he poses as a utility worker in Iran while trying to destroy a nuclear plant.
A dangerous job has been done, he is a day away from returning home for his daughter’s graduation in London, when his identity is revealed – thanks to a journalist’s intelligence leak.
That reporter was violently arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in her hotel room, and then—in a move that portends lousy character development throughout—we know nothing about.
In Dubai, Harris is told by his handler (Travis Fimmel) that he will be flown out in Kandahar, Afghanistan, along with local interpreter Mo (Navid Negappan).
The duo races through the desert, pursued by Afghan special forces and a motorcyclist named Kahil (Ali Fazl).
Many of the sharpest criticisms of the Taliban and terrorist organizations are expressed through khail, a head-scratching job by a murderous mercenary.
Butler, all the while, as usual speaking in the back of his throat and furrowing his brow – his exclusive expression.
The actor’s consistent, understated masculinity can be spot-on when working on appropriate projects, like the campy and focused “Greenland,” which Waugh also directed.
Here, however, the downer is on top of the downer.
The finale of “Kandahar” is marked by a massive explosion. Destruction junkies, don’t be misled – the effect of that ending and the entire movie is a puff of smoke.
Topics: Movies, Gerard Butler