Kandahar movie is the latest film from North America, and it explores the current geo-political stories set in Iran and Afghanistan. Iran’s nuclear crisis and the Taliban’s Afghanistan are two major themes in this film.
Off-late it seems that tales from both Iran and Afghanistan are a new flavour in the Hollywood movie world. As a result, the current geopolitical issues tend to find their way into the storyline of this film.
Not so long ago, we reviewed and shared the details of Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant movie set in Taliban’s Afghanistan in our Focus Magazine. Now, Kandahar – another Hollywood movie set in a similar backdrop (Afghanistan and also Iran) comes in, so let us find out about it. It is worth mentioning that most of the movie shootings took place in Saudi Arabia, which is ironic; as it explores some of the contemporary geo-political issues (including democracy) in these countries along with those of the United States of America.
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Kandahar (USA/2023) Movie:- details
| Genre | Action, Mystery, Thriller |
| Age-Certification | A or R (18+) |
| Film Length | 1 hour 59 minutes |
| Writer | Mitchell LaFortune |
| Director | Ric Roman Waugh |
| Cast | Gerard Butler, Navid Negahban, Ali Fazal, Travis Fimmel, Elnaaz Norouzi, etc. |
Kandahar (USA/2023) Movie:- synopsis
An undercover CIA operative Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) gets stuck in hostile territory in Afghanistan after his mission is exposed. Accompanied by his translator Mohammad “Mo” Doud (Navid Negahban), he must fight enemy combatants as he tries to reach an extraction point in Kandahar. As both Tom and Mo head towards Kandahar trying to escape, they are pursued by the best mercenaries in the world and elite special forces of the enemy.
Kandahar (USA/2023) Movie:- {Spoilers Free} review
In the earlier paragraphs, I mentioned the two major themes in this film, first the ongoing nuclear issues in Iran and second the withdrawal of American (NATO) troops and the rise of Taliban forces in Afghanistan. It seems that the hasty and unplanned retreat of American troops from Afghanistan has become a major geo-political issue, that has drawn the attention of the script-writers as well as the big Hollywood movie studios.
No wonder, we come across the dialogues like these in this film.
This conversation is between CIA agent Tom and his Afghani translator Mo, who laments the sudden and reckless withdrawal of Americans from Afghanistan.
Tom Harris (Gerard Butler plays a CIA agent): Is there anyone around here who drives a brand new SUV? You know we're supposed to blend in, right? Mohammad 'Mo' Doud (Navid Negahban plays a translator): We will. Americans left dozens of these at the Embassy. Even the drug dealers have these... .Welcome to New Afghanistan. Mohammad 'Mo' Doud (Navid Negahban): Same as the old.
This led the Taliban to take control of a New Afghanistan, which is no different than the Old.
Then this dialogue between a Taliban Fighter and a Pakistani ISI agent once again highlights the abrupt and ill-advised departure of American forces.
Rasoul (Hakeem Jomah plays a Taliban Fighter): We need more ammunition for the M45s and rockets. Kahil Nasir (Ali Fazal plays a Pakistani ISI agent): How the fuck can you be running out of ammunition, the Americans left you with it.
And in this case, the American troops even left their ammunition and weapons behind in Afghanistan, which fell into the wrong hands.
One more thing that I would like to clarify before we talk more about this film is that, unlike the Plane movie, it is not an out-an-out action-packed typical movie starring Gerald Butler. We talked about two separate layers of stories. When the story moves to Afghanistan territory, only then do we get to see the actions of Gerald Butler in this movie.
One of the surprise elements and highlights in this film is actor Ali Fazal who also participates in action scenes and like Gerald, does a good acting job too.
In the end, the big question is whether Tom and Mo manage to evade the mercenaries and escape from Afghanistan.
Although many people in India remember Kandahar for the hijacking of the Indian Airlines Flight IC 814 incident in December 1999. That hostage crisis lasted for a week and ended with the release of terrorists by the Government of India. Anyway, to conclude, I would say that it is a good time pass thriller movie and it is worth at least a one-time watch. As an added bonus it has Ali Fazal, a talented Indian actor, who has entertained us with his wide variety of roles in movies as well as series. So, you all can go ahead and check it out.
Well, I do not wish to disclose and spoil it for you all. However, still, you are still interested then go right ahead and read the details shared below.
Kandahar (USA/2023) Movie:- {Spoilers Alert} lead characters’ fate
Lead characters and their fate in this movie
Both Tom and Mo got timely assistance from their (CIA) teams and superiors. As the hellfire drones stopped and killed the mercenaries. And it helped Tom and Mo to get on a plane. So, both managed to escape from Afghanistan.
Kahil was a smart and resourceful Pakistani ISI agent, who came very close to capturing both Tom and Mo, but for the untimely intervention by the drones. Kahil was shot in the neck and it is more than likely that he died at the end.
Kandahar (USA/2023) Movie:- poster
Kandahar (USA/2023) Movie:- ratings
| FM’s rating | 3.50/5 |
| IMDb rating as of the date | 6.00/10 |
| Rotten Tomatoes ratings as of the date | 47% Tomatometer & 82% Audience Score |
| Critics’ Consensus / Rotten Tomatoes Audience Says / Rotten Tomatoes | Gerard Butler remains a sturdy screen presence, but even for hardcore action fans, this film is hardly worth watching. If you’re looking for lots of action, a story that keeps you guessing, and more of Gerard Butler doing what he does best, this film delivers. |
Kandahar (USA/2023) Movie:- trailer
Featured & Other Images: Kandahar (2023) movie | Open Road Films.