Master Sergeant John Kinley (Jake Gyllenhaal) was in charge of a squad of men who scoured Afghanistan for weapons caches. They might be operating as a checkpoint on a road, patrolling through towns, or even going to remote sites to investigate. Of course, they needed an interpreter. The last one having died, Kinley hired a new one, Ahmed (Dar Salim). Their working relationship was soon strained as Ahmed frequently made decisions contrary to Kinley's instructions. However, that this tended to achieve the stated goal kept Ahmed on the payroll. That he saved the team from an ambush also added to his value. During one interaction with a local source, the team learned of a weapons cache in the hinterlands. They set out. Though the operation went well initially, wave after wave of reinforcements attacked while the team awaited support. Kinley and Ahmed found themselves separated alone in the Afghan wilderness and unable to call for support. Could they get back to base before the Taliban found them?
The movie is told in three parts. It starts with Kinley and his team operating in Afghanistan. After the fight at the remote weapons store, it becomes a survival story with Kinley and Ahmed fleeing Taliban pursuit. The final part sees Kinley trying to get a visa for Ahmed so he can be extracted from an increasingly hostile Afghanistan
The movie has some good action scenes and certainly has some tense moments, but it is mostly dull. That the two main characters don't get along is important as far as the overall story but makes the pair less fun to watch. Their conflict isn't the buddy cop humor arguments, but just oil and water not mixing. Toward the end they have mutual respect and some light moments, but it's a long slog to get there.
Just okay. Obviously, Guy Ritchie or Gyllenhaal fans should see it, but otherwise this is skip.
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