The Outpost

Lots of action and stuff but I would watch the documentaries "Restrepo" and/or "Korengal" and then if you needed to see a dramatization come back to this.

A pretty unexceptional war movie. It treats Afghanistan like any WWII movie, which is somewhat problematic because a lot had changed in sixty years, and it was a different war, with different motivations. I like my Vietnam and Afghanistan movies to be a little bit more morally ambiguous and a little less patriotic. In spite of that, when the bullets fly, it has some fairly thrilling combat scenes.

Not bad.

Stimulating, quietly powerful war drama pulls off a successful balancing act of presenting both the cold indifference of combat, dissociating the viewer from this team and the darkly comical turn-over of commanders in the first half, before presenting a viscerally charged and unsettling, ugly depiction of battle, gradually letting us in to the psyche of these men and building to an emotionally charged finale. Excellent performances all around, with Eastwood (channelling his father) a standout.

28.10.20(+)

The visual spectacle of the final hour doesn't make up for the lack of connection with any character this film presents. And whilst the combat is thrilling, it didn't seem to go any deeper than 'look at all these guns and explosions'. Plenty of better war films out there.

Movie had two modes: frat boys being stupid and fighting. Never really connected with any character.

This a very well filmed war story, especially the long takes, and the chaos is handled so well, that you always feel the chaos of war, but never get too lost as to not understanding anything. It doesn't drag too much into propaganda, stays more on the soldiers, respects their legacy and tells their stories. If you like soldier films, this is a good one.

Surprisingly effective movie. It was a little jarringly episodic in the beginning. But very compelling and tense once it kicks into gear in the second act.

Although it's based on a true story, its full of stereotypes and the obvious action scene and fighting shots. Nothing really stands out.

Lurie wants the looseness of vérité, yet the macho in-your-face of brothers-in-arms and directs the shit out of each vignette to achieve it. And after dragging its feet with overdetermined character introductions, the second hour is nothing but the unwinnable battle in 3D Steadicam, i.e. good intentions inseparable from war porn and propaganda.

A failure on every level. Except Caleb Landry Jones.

Over-the top military spectacle and little else