Afghanistan, Helmand Province becomes one of the most dangerous place on earth as the British Army deploys into the Taliban heartland. An overextended British army patrol struggles to keep it together under increasingly tough conditions.
While there’s not much spectacle or incident to ensnare the casual viewer, the overall impression is of a well executed minor drama that casts a careful life on the inner lives of military personnel, and promises good things to come in terms of the young cast, and Tom Petch’s future career.
Don't expect the against-the-odds bravado of a Zulu here. This is an unsparing and occasionally bleak look at the frustrations of fighting an unwinnable war with inadequate gear.
As a combat pic, it’s refreshingly sober and politically engaged, a broadsheet among tabloids, although the narrative is short on dramatic firepower.
Veers between resonant contemplation and stagy slog.
This is an impressive debut from Petch.
Cinematographer Stuart Bentley shoots the Moroccan locations with enough grit to sand over the sometimes uncertain performances, and the wearing tedium of conflict is effectively evoked, broken occasionally by bursts of violence that are rightly harrowing.
General release. Check local listings for show times.