By John Corrado

★★★ (out of 4)​

Based on the true story of the Horse Soldiers, 12 Strong follows the Special Forces team led by Captain Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) that was deployed to Afghanistan directly following 9/11, and tasked with forging an alliance with an Afghan warlord (Navid Negahban) in order to help take down the Taliban and reclaim the occupied city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, 12 Strong delivers pretty much exactly what you expect, and I mostly mean that in a good way.  The film would have benefitted from fleshing out more of the characters, as many of them are left to feel like archetypes, but it’s still a well made film that works in both the action sequences and quieter dramatic moments.

The ensemble cast does fine work, led by a solid turn from Chris Hemsworth, and the action is very well staged.  The climactic battle with the soldiers on horseback as they descend upon Mazar-i-Sharif – which gave them their nickname – has been excitingly recreated here, and provides a satisfying payoff.  This is a decent modern war movie, that does a fine job of recounting this true story, while paying tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of these soldiers.

The Blu-ray also includes the two featurettes 12 Strong: The Making of An Impossible Mission and Monumental Effort: Building America’s  Response Monument.

12 Strong is a Warner Bros. Home Entertainment release.  It’s 130 minutes and rated 14A.