12 Strong
review by Drusilla Blakey
Chris Hemsworth has been awhile for some time, but obviously most notably for his turn as the God of Thunder, Thor in the Marvel franchise. Now he is taking on a military role in his latest film 12 Strong based on the book Horse Soldiers alongside a great cast including Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, Rob Riggle, and William Fitchner, but does it do the story justice or will it fall off the horse right from the start?
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12 Strong follows the story of the first Special Forces team deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11; under the leadership of a new captain, the team must work with an Afghan warlord to take down the Taliban. I typically am not a fan or war movies but this movie has such an amazing cast that I couldn’t stay away. If this story was not based on true events, it would be extremely unbelievable! However, because we know it really happened it makes it that much more compelling to watch.
The movie features great action scenes that are very moving and sometimes stressful. There is a lot of violence and death so sensitive viewers or young children should beware, but I was glad that the violence of war was not brushed over or covered up. The acting is also good with a great performance from Chris Hemsworth, who gets to exercise his acting chops in a different kind of role than we are used to in Thor which was great to see.
I feel that this is an important story that people need to become aware of. The contribution of these men was not acknowledged at the time as the operation was classified. And now, 17 years later, they are receiving recognition for the amazing mission they completed. And whether or not you believe in war, it’s important that we show the respect due to these brave horse soldiers.
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In addition to the film this release also offers up numerous bonus content including featurettes that take you behind bringing this incredible story to the big screen. Join the fight and grab your copy of 12 Strong when it hits digital on April 10th and then on Blu-ray and DVD on May 1st from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.