Fire Over Afghanistan

Ha Ha Ha Ha.

I have seen some really bad films in my time but this falls directly into the "who funds this junk" category.

I was very pleased with myself as I managed to sit through 28 minutes of it before I cracked and started fast forwarding looking for any potentially good bits. I was bitterly disappointed.

The computer graphics appeared to have been done on a BlackBerry. Actually that's unfair, I love my BlackBerry. The acting was poor, the direction was worse. The "locals" dancing in one scene didn't seem to have a clue what they were doing. Nobody knew how to hold or fire a rifle and the non combatant killed more people than anyone else. I don't actually need to say more about this film as nothing about it is any good. Its proper rubbish, and not even in a good way. Do not waste your money.

A real "must miss".

Who better know Afghanistan, the United States; or Russia? I think this flick was made by Russians. And yes, sure, of course they do know Afghanistan. So it has a Russian feel to it, from the way the Americans seem like Europeans, to the Latino helo pilot who speaks with a Russian accent. I couldn't finish this one. It just didn't hold my attention. Seen on Tubi, the free streaming site.

This is a low budget attempt at getting under the skin of people who deposit themselves into difficult territory and attempt to maintain their equilibrium. The actors are strong and the story is familiar, but there is a sorrowful angst in between the gunshots. You can tell the filmmakers care far more about the situation than they do the action -- and once you accept it, it's okay. I watched it a couple times to make sure I hadn't looked away and missed something, and the second time through I understood what they were after: the pointlessness of war. This is a movie in which a character is forced to shout "Shoot him, dammit!" A rip from Bridge on the River Kwai, a wild comparison, yes, but another war picture that wanted only to say how pointless the war itself is.

Afghanistan is thousands of miles from anything in our world and yet because

of 9/11 has acheived a central status that this movie trains its sight on. The two Americans would seem to be there for entirely different reasons and

yet there is a chilling sense that both are there to escape personal tragedy or the sense that being alive when others are dying is patently unfair. The movie's two lead actors are up to the task of making us pay atention and there is an

aching sense that only in this ridiculously violent world could they possibly find each other and in the end save each other. Although there is no real explanation for why Afghanistan has to suffer so much death and destruction, this movie at least gives us the sense that there are real people there who deserve a chance for something better. Although there is

plenty of violence and action, it always seemd justified. Worth a viewing.

There's nothing wrong with this movie that some budget wouldn't fix. The acting, dialogue and direction are fine -- the story is derivative of The Purple Plain, but that's 50 years ago and using it as a springboard is not a bad idea. We begin with a struggling pilot's fantasy that his world is exploding around him. When nobody else reacts he and we realize that it's in his mind... and we are supposed to wonder why. Having established him as a helicopter pilot (in a thin but story-forwarding action scene) we learn the reason for the pilot's internal struggle: he lost a son to a suicide bomber's madness. The story unfolds with the pilot being given a chance at salvation, a chance at finding a reason to live: when his chopper is shot down, he and the female reporter on board must find their way across Afghanistan to safety while bounty hunting bad guys pursue them.

Yes, yes, there are never enough stunts or explosions -- but when our hero charges the bad guys, it isn't bad strategy, it's his suicidal side coming out. There are noble ideas at work here. It's a shame there wasn't enough dough to silence the idiots who care what the cockpit looks like more than they care what characters are feeling.