Kajaki

I've never seen a movie capture what it is to be a soldier better. British, American or whatever. Watch this - it's history not a film.

There have been many films made about Afghanistan/Iraq over the last few years and they are all afforded a degree of Hollywood Licencing. The Hurt Locker being an excellent example, almost good but ruined by pandering to a less intelligent audience.

If I was asked to describe what being a soldier is I could only ever point to this film. There is nothing there that is overdone or underdone.

It just is what it is meant to be.

There's only a handful of so called "war films" I consider to be films about the actual reality of war. HBO's mini-series 'Generation Kill' is probably the most realistic when it comes to the depiction of modern warfare - but 'Kajaki' (also known as 'Kilo Two Bravo') gives it a run for its money: this criminally under-seen masterpiece should be considered a modern classic. The production values are fantastic; the cinematography, the script and the direction are absolutely flawless - but you won't notice them. What you will notice is the outstanding ensemble of actors, portraying characters in a way you forget you're watching a movie. They will make you cringe, laugh, cry and hold your breath in shocked disbelief and utter horror.

This film had me literally on the edge of my seat the entire time, but what really grabs you by the gut is not just the suspense and the horror; it's the relationships between these soldiers and how they look out for each other. How close men become when their lives depend on each other has probably rarely been depicted on screen with the intensity and no-bullshît, keep-it-real attitude as is the case here. And knowing that what you're seeing actually happened only adds to the experience (for this film IS an experience). Definitely not the kind of war film that you come across very often. Superb. 9 stars out of 10.

Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/

Lesser-Known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/

Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

Having served this film is often too painful to watch (the reason for my giving it a 9/10). It expresses the suffering and comradeship of warfare.

This isn't just a film it's an education for a society disassociated from war. For those critics war isn't glorious or romantic. It's dirty and boring, and yes, people screw up. If you're stuck in a minefield without all the Gucci kit it's a bayonet and you're belt buckle, and it's hot and tiring and you make mistakes. Soldiers (at least the Toms) don't speak received English (so maybe you might have to pay more attention to what is being said)and yes they swear, live with it!

There are plenty of wonderful war films where the (usually American) protagonists win the day with either a fashionable injury or glorious death; this isn't one of them. There is however humour and pathos in war and this expressed in loads. If everyone knew what war was really like nobody would want anything to do with one.

I can highly recommend this film to anyone who can handle the intensity of a gruesome war film. The film starts slow and is filled with typical tough guy war banter and then the intensity jumps dramatically as the film re-creates a real story for Afganistan where soldiers are trapped in a minefield. Gripping, intense, sad, fierce and powerful. It is not a political film, but will get you to think deeply about the wars of the middle East and how we fight them.

A very well made film that often feels like a documentary. Flawless filming and acting to make you feel there.

This film is NOT for everyone. This film is quite gruesome and captures the reality of land mines.

NOTE: The heavy British accents required us to turn on captions.

I wanted to score the film an 8.5, but upgraded to a 9 based on powerful filming, intensity, real-ness and solid acting.

This movie once it gets going, it really gets crazy! I will say the first 30 or so minutes were VERY slow, and I was on the verge of being bored...but I'm very glad I stuck it out, because once it gets moving ...it never lets up.

The carnage is very realistic, and the reaction of the men feels very authentic as well.

It's very intense, and it shows the bravery of these men.

We all owe our respect to these men, far too often we forget that we didn't go into Iraq alone, right or wrong (reason for going) England, and a few others stuck by us and went to fight in a war that wasn't their war. We owe them our thanks.

This film is unlike any other as there is almost no, actually I don't think there is any firefights, but it's action packed in a way that isn't a popcorn flick.