12 Strong

   A military action drama based on the true story of the U.S. first response against the Taliban in Afghanistan after 9/11. A month after the Twin Towers were brought down, an elite squad of 12 soldiers were sent to Afghanistan to work with the local freedom fighters against a Taliban stronghold. 

       Chris Hemsworth stars as Mitch Nelson, the leader of the squad that includes Michael Pena and Michael Shannon. The film also co-stars Rob Riggle and William Fichtner as Nelson's superior officers and Naved Negahban as General Abdul Dostum, the leader of the Afghan Northern Alliance. There is no denying that Mr. Hemsworth is a dashing hero but rather than playing the mythical Thor, here he represents a real American hero and he is just terrific.

        The film is gritty and very realistic. The battle sequences are very exciting and what really sets the film aside is the horses that the soldiers find themselves needing to carry out their mission. The film is based on a book called "Horse Soldiers", written about the classified mission. It is amazing to watch the unit fight on horseback and even more amazing to know that the animals were't harmed during the making of the film. In the credits we learn there was an animation unit as well as a puppetry unit  that I'm sure were used to simulate the horses when they were in danger (and they are quite a bit).

        The story is thrilling and patriotic and you can't help but rally around Nelson and his men. What makes it even more remarkable is realizing that the film is a recreation of a real mission, carried out by real soldiers.  It's stories like this that reinforce an appreciation of our military and how they put their lives on the line every day protecting our freedom.