Title: The Outpost
Tagline: The mission was survival.
Genre: War, Drama, History, Action
Director: Rod Lurie
Cast: Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom, Ernest Cavazos, Taylor John Smith, Cory Hardrict, Milo Gibson, Bobby Lockwood, Jacob Scipio, Jack Kesy, Celina Sinden
Release: 2020-06-24
Runtime: 123
Plot: A small unit of U.S. soldiers, alone at the remote Combat Outpost Keating, located deep in the valley of three mountains in Afghanistan, battles to defend against an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack. The Battle of Kamdesh, as it was known, was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 and Bravo Troop 3-61 CAV became one of the most decorated units of the 19-year conflict.Right from the opening crawl, Rod Lurie warns viewers that THE OUTPOST is not going to be an easy ride. Based on a 2009 Taliban attack on an American base in northern Afghanistan, the movie plunges us right into the action with a troop of U.S. soldiers who get the shortest of straws as their encampment is in the valley with steep mountains surrounding them. They are literal sitting ducks. Lurie and his writers (it's based on a Jake Tapper book) do their damnedest to hew close to the facts, which also means trying to identify and distinguish a large cast of characters. On screen title cards accompany the appearance of each man and location, but, it's still very difficult to ID each person once the action gets into gear save for a few main principals (the constant title cards also gets a bit wearisome after a while and actually impedes the proceedings).
Fortunately, Lurie makes the wise decision to not go for an individualized portrait of the men, but, more of a collective one. It's about the troop's actions, not individual ones - although, several acts of bravery are vividly detailed. What really distinguishes the movie is the central battle sequence. Expertly choreographed by West Point graduate Lurie, and edited with precision, the viewer is barraged by the chaotic battle, but, crucially, still able to keep one's bearings. It's a master-class in how to shoot a war scene.
THE OUTPOST is a tough, brutal enterprise. One may miss a better sense of who each individual is, but, it's the totality of the experience is hard to shake.
Fortunately, Lurie makes the wise decision to not go for an individualized portrait of the men, but, more of a collective one. It's about the troop's actions, not individual ones - although, several acts of bravery are vividly detailed. What really distinguishes the movie is the central battle sequence. Expertly choreographed by West Point graduate Lurie, and edited with precision, the viewer is barraged by the chaotic battle, but, crucially, still able to keep one's bearings. It's a master-class in how to shoot a war scene.
THE OUTPOST is a tough, brutal enterprise. One may miss a better sense of who each individual is, but, it's the totality of the experience is hard to shake.
