Film Review: Kandahar

I really like that Gerard Butler has become his own particular brand of action hero, one that simultaneously hearkens back to action heroes of the past, with a more grizzled vibe than the more younger, clean-cut green screen heroes of today, while also having a very under the radar profile with mostly smaller projects that often sit at the very edge of mainstream Hollywood. I was always quite charmed by his persona, and more often than not, I’ve found his choices in roles to be inspired and compelling, even if the overall projects don’t necessarily come together quite as well.

Which leads me to Kandahar, the latest film from director, Ric Roman Waugh, working off a script by Mitchell LaFortune. The setup is simple enough, Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) is a CIA operative who is working undercover in Afghanistan, but when a leak exposes him and his mission, his handler Roman (Travis Fimmel) informs him that he and his translator Mohamed (Navid Negahban) need to get to an airport in Kandahar, cutting through enemy territory, in order to escape the country safely. Meanwhile, in addition to Taliban forces, the two are hunted by Iranian intelligence agent Farzad (Bahador Foladi) and Pakistani ISI officer Kahil (Ali Fazal).

I suppose the first thing to note is that this is strangely enough, the second film this year to have a story revolving around an American and his translator being on the run in Afghanistan – that first one being Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant. There is a stark difference between the two that is worth nothing. LaFortune actually has experience working in the army, and later on in intelligence within Afghanistan, this is a film that is enriched by his experience, and the storytelling reflects that. It is much more complex in the way it juggles geo-politics, intelligence procedures, and the way a situation like this would probably go down. Unfortunately, it makes the proceedings feel a bit dry.

Sometimes, adding some slick Hollywood pizazz can help not only making a film more engaging, it can also reach into some greater truths in a way that perhaps wouldn’t be as clear if things were played with subdued and grounded realism. Ritchie certainly gets that, but that’s not really Waugh’s MO as a filmmaker. He’s very much the down and dirty type, and it works for a number of his movies, especially his past two collaborations with Butler – Angel Has Fallen and Greenland, which were quite good and genuinely great, respectively. However, the magic isn’t quite there for this film. The elements are all here, but something within the presentation and the energy is lacking.

The actors certainly give it their all. Butler does exactly what he does best. Negahban manages to bring some humanity to a role that feels a touch underwritten, especially when you compare to how his equivalent in The Covenant was fleshed out. Fazal is an interesting wild card that brings a bit of personality to the film that contrasts with most of the other characters. And Fimmel brings that bizarre energy that always makes him so effortlessly fascinating to watch. There’s not much to fault with the actors here. And unsurprisingly, they do well with the action, which is often decently staged and impactful when it needs to be, thought notably not as action packed as one might expect from a Butler flick.

Overall, Kandahar is an admirable effort from everyone involved. As a b-movie thriller, it’s perfectly solid, and only really stands out as something not up to par simply because we got The Covenant earlier this year. It’s a film that does have things to say about the messy ways America and other countries play political chess in territories like Afghanistan without taking into account how it will affect the people who consider it home. There is some genuinely fun and compelling turns from the cast, Fazal being my personal favorite, and Ric Roman Waugh does a decent job at balancing the inherent sensitivity and complexity of the subject matter with classic meat and potatoes cinematic flourishes. There’s one chase scene involving a helicopter that takes place in the pitch black of night that is a definite highlight of the film for me. I’m glad I watched it, but it’s probably not going to stick with me in ways that similar films have done.

Kandahar is now out in theaters.