I used to look forward to the occasional
war movie opening in theaters. The rareness
of new war movies made those trips to the theater with my note pad
special. I would have to find a seat
with some light and sometimes sat in the aisle to use floor lights. I wonder if those days are over. I still have not seen “The Last Full Measure”
and “Greyhound” has been pushed back. I
may have to get a trial subscription to Apple+ just to see it. “The Outpost” actually is playing in theaters,
but none near me. I do not know whether
I would have gone to see it if it was nearby.
Thankfully, I did not have to. One
effect of the virus is some movies are going straight to streaming. In this case it costs $7, but that is about
what it would cost in a theater and I got to sit comfortably on a non-sticky floor.
“The Outpost” is based on Jake
Tapper’s book The Outpost: An Untold
Story of American Valor. Tapper was
not embedded like Sebastian Junger in “Restrepo”, but the soldier behavior is authentic
due to Tapper doing extensive interviews with the participants. Rod Lurie (“The Last Castle”) was a good
choice as director since he graduated from West Point and served in the Army. Some of the participants acted as technical advisers
and a few even act in the film. It was
filmed in Bulgaria where an accurate mock-up of the post was reconstructed. The movie got the stamp of approval from Gold
Star families who attended a private screening.
The movie leads with background that
basically tells the military history neophytes that locating a base in a valley
surrounded by mountains is not a good idea.
Combat Outpost Kamdesh was called “Camp Custer”, but could better have been
called “Camp Dien Bien Phu”. The movie
sets the menacing scenario early on with the arrival of new targets by way of a
nighttime helicopter ride. The naïve newbies
are informed the choppers don’t dare ingress except on a moonless night. At daybreak, the camera pans over the
surrounding mountains to give the audience a clear idea of the lunacy of
locating an outpost there. Welcome to
the Alamo. Sure enough, at the 6:30 mark,
the first shots are fired by Taliban fighters hiding in the rocks on a slope. And meet the American army in Afghanistan
because after the elimination of those insurgents, Staff Sgt. Gallegos (Jacob
Scipio) physically abuses sad sack Pfc. Yunger (Alfie Stewart) for firing close
to him. Another soldier has a hashish
problem. However, before you get the
impression that the movie is a hit piece on the American military, the movie
settles into a realistic portrayal of the dynamics within a unit isolated in a post
surrounded by the enemy. If you haven’t
seen “Restrepo”, some might be shocked by how the soldiers talk to each other
and interact. As Specialist Carter
(Caleb Landry Jones) complains, it’s like living in a frat house. His inability to participate in the
towel-snapping gets him ostracized.
Those familiar with the modern American army in Iraq and Afghanistan
(see “The Kill Team”) will notice that none of these men talk about getting
their first kill. They have more of a Vietnam
attitude of just surviving. Their
mission matches their position – hopeless.
Their commanding officer Capt. Keating (Orlando Bloom) tries to implement
the strategy of wooing the locals away from the Taliban with infrastructure
funds, but it’s a pipe dream and his men know it. One speaks for all: “We want their hearts and minds, they want
our blood and guts.” The movie only
swipes at the brass, but it is clear the REMFs are clueless and the ROEs are
ridiculous. The cynical view of the
counterinsurgency efforts is personified by Staff Sgt. Romesha (Scott
Eastwood). He’s the kind of guy you’re
going to need when the shit hits the fan.
That won’t be long because the foreshadowing clearly indicates to fasten
your seatbelts. You’ll need to keep your
seatbelt on for 35 minutes of unrelenting combat as you wonder if there will be
as many survivors as in the Alamo.
I usually approach new war movies
with some trepidation, especially if I have been waiting for them. They are so rare that it can be depressing
when the promise does not match the product.
Here is one that is worth the wait.
It was intended to pay tribute to the soldiers at Camp Keating and it
does so. The ensemble of mostly unknown
actors is excellent and we get a star-making turn by Eastwood. Orlando Bloom was the box office get and his
role reminds of Guy Pearce in “The Hurt Locker” (you’ll see what I mean.) The actors behave like soldiers. I do not know if there was a boot camp, but
they seem comfortable with the language and the interaction. If you knew little about American soldiers,
you’d mistake hate for love. This is why
the Carter character is crucial. While a
cliched redemption character, he represents the typical soldier who will give
his life for a comrade, no matter their relationship. The best moment in the film comes at the end
when a counselor asks him if Mace (the man who he risked his life to save) was
his friend and he simply says “no”. There
is some character development, especially Romesha, Yunger, and Carter, but
there is a bit of “Black Hawk Down” in the “who was that?” deaths. (I’m pretty sure the one who shows a picture
of his dog dies. Kudos for tweaking that
cliché.) The enemy is totally faceless,
aside for some Afghan elders who look 80, but probably were 40ish. The fighters are fodder, but there are enough
of them and they have mortars and RPGs so the assault is very hairy.
The movie is basically two parts
(although technically it is divided between the various commanding
officers). The first part touches on the
hearts and minds strategy and throws in the occasional harassment of the outpost,
but it is mainly focused on portraying the lives of the men. It is very effective at this. By the time you get to the second part, which
is the battle, you do care about the men.
The combat is not quite Korean, but certainly kick-ass. It is reminiscent of “Danger Close”, but more
intimate as the hand-held cameras put us in the thick of it. Like being in a Humvee under fire. The deaths are unpredictable and random. Two of the commanders’ deaths are shocking
and that’s before the final battle. The
combat is intense and suspenseful. You’ll
be amazed that these same men who were grabbing ass the night before are risking
ass by running through fire to help each other.
We may be sending frat boys overseas, but they step up like a Band of
Brothers when the going gets tough.
I have to admit I was not
familiar with the Battle of Kamdesh. Like
most Americans, I have not followed the Afghan War since its early years. But then, it hasn’t gotten a lot of press
coverage since the tennis ball was thrown elsewhere. This movie was necessary to remind us that
there were actual battles after the easy initial conquest of the country. The battle was a pyrrhic victory in a pyrrhic
war. But that wasn’t the fault of the
men of Bravo Troop 3-61 Cavalry. They
did us proud and now their battle is the most famous in the war.
GRADE = A
HISTORICAL
ACCURACY: I haven’t read the book yet,
but my research indicates the movie is admirably accurate. The biggest problem is with the compression
of time, which is a common fudging in historical movies. PRT Kamdesh was established in that valley
because it was a choke point for Taliban weapons and soldiers. It was also conveniently located for the
counterinsurgency efforts popular at the time.
The movie alludes to the three-part strategy of separating the locals
from the insurgents, linking the public to the government, and buying friendship
through infrastructure projects. Keating
is used to show this, but Keating’s death occurred a couple of years before the
battle. He did die in a truck accident
as shown in the movie. There were other
commanders between him and Yllescas.
Yllescas was mortally wounded by a command detonated IED similar to the
movie. It appears the Broward character
was invented to represent blind obedience to the Rules of Engagement and as a
foil for Romesha. Lt. Bundermann was in command
on Oct. 3, 2009 when more than 300 insurgents attacked with a variety of
weapons including mortars and RPGs. The
mortar pit was taken out. The enemy did
penetrate the perimeter within 48 minutes and the Afghani National Army
soldiers did not put up much of a fight before fleeing. (Think ARVN when you think ANA.) The movie neglects to mention the Latvian
soldiers that also manned the outpost.
It also does not show the fact that the jihadists set fire to several
buildings. The defenders did fall back
and it was at this point that Romesha led the counterattack depicted in the
movie. He actually did say “We’re taking
this bitch back.” His Medal of Honor performance is well-portrayed,
except it leaves out his role in coordinating air support. Carter’s arc is also accurate. He did risk his life carrying ammunition and
saved Mace. Romesha and Carter were the
first two soldiers to survive to receive the Medal of Honor in the same battle
in over fifty years. The use of transfusions
to keep Mace alive was vetted by Chris Cordova, who was on set for the scenes
in the aid station. The movie downplays
the amount of time and effort by the helicopters, A-10s, B-1, and F-15s. 8 Air Force Distinguished Flying Crosses were
awarded. Portis did arrive with the
Quick Reaction Force, but it was at nightfall.
Stoney Portis visited the set and admired the authenticity of the
recreation. The reconstruction must have
been based on memories since the outpost was hastily destroyed two days later.
