Special Forces (2011)

Good military thrillers are hard-to-find, and that's probably because the field of cinema has long cultivated lesser soldier pictures masquerading as something bigger or grander than what they truly are. For example, a reviewer for the Hollywood Reporter draws a light comparison to the Rambo films ("a body count that rivals any of the Rambo films"), and, to be honest, I think that does a disservice to SPECIAL FORCES as well as it does Rambo. Rambo is clearly a fictional creation; sure, he's entertaining and a crowd-pleaser, but the men who make up true-life Special Forces teams have very little in common with and how Rambo goes about his job. Rambo is bigger-than-life. He's over-the-top. Real soldiers lie low much of the time, and they only rush into combat when either ordered or find it absolutely necessary.

It's a fine-line distinction, but it's one that should be made when discussing competent military thrillers like SPECIAL FORCES.

(NOTE: The following review may contain minor spoilers necessary solely for the discussion of plot and character. If you're the kind of reader who prefers a review entirely spoiler-free, then I'd encourage you to skip down to the last two paragraphs for my final assessment. If, however, you're accepting of a few modest hints at `things to come,' then read on ...)

Elsa Casanova (played by the lovely Diane Kruger) is a war correspondent caught behind enemy lines in Afghanistan when she's taken hostage over some very unflattering pieces involving a local Taliban chieftain. Her captors take her deep into their Pakistan-stronghold, and the French call in a squad of Special Forces led by Kovax (Djimon Hounsou) to rescue her. A botched helicopter extraction leaves her and the soldiers with only one grim option: to brave this wild frontier on foot, trek across the mountains, and hope for friendly aide in Afghanistan!

To its credit, SPECIAL FORCES is a smartly made military thriller. There's a political undercurrent, as well, that for the most part supports the primary plot of good soldiers doing a dirty job, but the politics of the film put so much of the story in jeopardy. For example, the Taliban chieftain would appear to be exactly what the Taliban would want from a leader (he's ruthless, forcing Elsa to watch helplessly while they strangle a man to death in front of her), but we quickly learn that the man lacks the respect of the local Taliban elders. There's an interesting parallel running through the motion picture about how the press apparently doesn't respect the French government or its military, but, in the end, we pretty much find out that it's all been done for the sake of `character development.' Unfortunately, there's no way to make sense of what director Stephane Rybojad was trying to saw about the world and these people, but I've no doubt Stephane thought it was all pretty high-brow.

Those quibbles aside, a large portion of the rest of SPECIAL FORCES is extremely well shot, expertly choreographed, and quite thrilling. The rescue goes mostly textbook, but the extraction leaves these folks stranded behind enemy lines and needing to salvage a botched operation. As soldiers would, they comprise their own `game plan,' which leads to some solid action for fans of this genre. The last quarter (or so) of the film veers into some pretty dire circumstances for all involved, and, while I'd no doubt this is the story Rybojad wanted to tell, it's all pretty downright depressing for my tastes. Kudos for opting for realism, but, if it's realism you want, then I'd seriously question the logic of the skinny blonde waif with no body fat lasting as long as she did.

SPECIAL FORCES is produced by Easy Company, Studio Canal, Canal+, TPS Star, Banque Postale Image 4, A Plus Image 2, and Sofica Manon. DVD distribution is being handled through Entertainment One (E One). For those who might be wondering, this is `technically' listed as a French-language film which is a bit of a misnomer: yes, there's a wealth of French spoken in there, but there's an awful lot of English, as well. There is an English-dubbing track (2.0 only) available, if you don't want any French; I watched it in French with sub-titles, and I was surprised how much English there was. As for the technical specifications, it looks and sounds magnificent very clear and crisp images, excellent sound mix, and there's some wonderful John-Ford-esque vistas throughout the film. As for the special features, there's a handful of deleted scenes (nothing grand) and a blink-and-you'll-miss-it three minutes feature on a real-life Special Forces soldier who participated briefly as a character in the film. (My press materials indicates that the Blu-ray release includes an additional `making of' featurette.)

RECOMMENDED. Look, I love my patriotism just as much as the next patriot, but SPECIAL FORCES ain't no recruiting video for the French that's for sure. Also, it ain't any work any miracles for Pakistan's tourism business. It's a well-made, well-constructed military/political thriller for about 80% of the time, which ain't bad. However, its politics are all over the map (Are the Taliban bad guys? Are they good guys? Are they just misunderstood? Or is it the press who are our bad guys?), and the lack of a coherent message (not the story, which is all well and good) slows the picture down a bit. It's full of good performances and some very curious editing (way too many meaningless dissolves), but the script could've used a rescue mission itself in the last 30 minutes.

In the interests of fairness, I'm pleased to disclose that the fine folks at Entertainment One (E One) provided me with a DVD screener copy of SPECIAL FORCES for the expressed purposes of completing this review.

As I sat down to watch the French film "Special Forces," I was poised to enjoy a complex story of tactical operations and international politics. And in the opening scenes, that's just what the movie seemed on the precipice of serving up. However, as the primary story line came into focus, it was clear that "Special Forces" really wasn't about an elite military squad in anything other than title. We see a couple of missions, but nothing of any real strategy is presented. I would have enjoyed these scenes a lot more if the screenplay had delineated just what made this squad so spectacular from a technical, intelligence, or stealth point of view. But as I said, this action endeavor isn't really about a special forces team per se. It is rescue picture. If you remember the tag line for Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," it stated that "the mission was a man." Here, the only objective is the rescue of a woman who happens to be a French war correspondent. In other words, the mission was a woman.

The terrific Diane Kruger (generally underrated) seems a bit out of place as the central character. A seasoned news vet, she attracts the attention of local Taliban leaders in Afghanistan as she pursues a very personal story. Soon, she is abducted by the subject of her story (Raz Degan) and put in harm's way. This rallies the French government (we're not given too much detail behind her import) to enact a daring rescue attempt at any cost. That's when our group of heroes (led by Djimon Hounsou) arrive on scene and get her out within a couple of minutes. No big deal. The rest of the movie plays as an extended chase through the desolate country as the squad and Kruger try to evade capture and death. Along the way, we'll learn a bit about all of them, but the harrowing journey will surely promise a death toll. Who will make it out alive, if anyone? That is the central question as Degan's men are relentless.

Much of "Special Forces" works better on a visceral level than on an intellectual one. The film's screenplay makes some dubious choices to enhance your emotional commitment to the material. The Taliban are faceless enemies represented solely by Degan. It seems surprising how personally invested in the pursuit he is, but the filmmaker is convinced the audience needs a big final confrontation with the symbolic face of evil. The men form a grudging respect for Kruger as well, but she never plays an active role in her own survival. As people are being brutally annihilated, they think she's a trooper for walking on battered feet. She never takes up a weapon and ends up being carried. She never comes across as heroic to me. And let's not get started on an ill-advised romantic connection. "Special Forces" was designed to be an epic and devastating war story. And some of it works, it's hard not to be swept up into the nightmare. The cast is strong but, in the end, too many false moments hamper a story that should have been absolutely unforgettable. Not a bad movie, but had so much more potential. About 3 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 2/13.

Buy Special Forces (2011) Now

Talk about a surprise. Amazing movie!!! Cinematography and acting, all top notch. Ok, I admit...the storyline has sort of been done before but, how could anybody bash a movie that is ultimately meant to honor fallen soldiers? Bottom line you can't (or at the very least, show respect). Thank You.

Read Best Reviews of Special Forces (2011) Here

As I sat down to watch the French film "Special Forces," I was poised to enjoy a complex story of tactical operations and international politics. And in the opening scenes, that's just what the movie seemed on the precipice of serving up. However, as the primary story line came into focus, it was clear that "Special Forces" really wasn't about an elite military squad in anything other than title. We see a couple of missions, but nothing of any real strategy is presented. I would have enjoyed these scenes a lot more if the screenplay had delineated just what made this squad so spectacular from a technical, intelligence, or stealth point of view. But as I said, this action endeavor isn't really about a special forces team per se. It is rescue picture. If you remember the tag line for Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan," it stated that "the mission was a man." Here, the only objective is the rescue of a woman who happens to be a French war correspondent. In other words, the mission was a woman.

The terrific Diane Kruger (generally underrated) seems a bit out of place as the central character. A seasoned news vet, she attracts the attention of local Taliban leaders in Afghanistan as she pursues a very personal story. Soon, she is abducted by the subject of her story (Raz Degan) and put in harm's way. This rallies the French government (we're not given too much detail behind her import) to enact a daring rescue attempt at any cost. That's when our group of heroes (led by Djimon Hounsou) arrive on scene and get her out within a couple of minutes. No big deal. The rest of the movie plays as an extended chase through the desolate country as the squad and Kruger try to evade capture and death. Along the way, we'll learn a bit about all of them, but the harrowing journey will surely promise a death toll. Who will make it out alive, if anyone? That is the central question as Degan's men are relentless.

Much of "Special Forces" works better on a visceral level than on an intellectual one. The film's screenplay makes some dubious choices to enhance your emotional commitment to the material. The Taliban are faceless enemies represented solely by Degan. It seems surprising how personally invested in the pursuit he is, but the filmmaker is convinced the audience needs a big final confrontation with the symbolic face of evil. The men form a grudging respect for Kruger as well, but she never plays an active role in her own survival. As people are being brutally annihilated, they think she's a trooper for walking on battered feet. She never takes up a weapon and ends up being carried. She never comes across as heroic to me. And let's not get started on an ill-advised romantic connection. "Special Forces" was designed to be an epic and devastating war story. And some of it works, it's hard not to be swept up into the nightmare. The cast is strong but, in the end, too many false moments hamper a story that should have been absolutely unforgettable. Not a bad movie, but had so much more potential. About 3 1/2 stars. KGHarris, 2/13.

Want Special Forces (2011) Discount?

An article is written by a French journalist named Elsa (Diane Kruger) with the intention of exposing the Pakistani warlord named Zaief (Raz Degan) for what he really is. Seeking retribution for being called "the butcher of Kabul," Zaief captures Elsa and her friend Amen (Mehdi Nebbou) and holds them both hostage. A French Special Forces team lead by Kovax (Djimon Hounsou) is sent in to rescue them, but when a stray bullet severs their only means of communication they find themselves journeying back to Afghanistan on foot.

The French war adventure film opens with what is quite possibly the most ridiculous music to try and accompany soldiers or a war. There are helicopters flying in the air, soldiers scouting out the landscape, and this extremely serious tone but it doesn't feel sincere because Big Audio Dynamite is blaring in the background. It just doesn't seem to fit the tone of the film at all. In the meantime, the rest of the score is completely generic. There's this guitar heavy piece that's used literally every five minutes or so. If the inadequate music wasn't enough, the film is edited like a bad music video with constant quick cuts, flashes of light, and even slow motion.

The first half of the film is nearly unbearable; there's no character development and these really lame attempts at humor. "We need to be set up at the landing site in an hour and a half." "Oh, no time to go shopping then?" It seems like "Special Forces" is just going through the motions at first. It's a rescue mission with no depth, but things begin to turn around once they reach the village. The action picks up and suddenly everyone realizes that, "Oh crap, we should actually be trying to invest in people's emotions here!"

Diane Kruger has the most draining performance. Elsa is put through hell and you can see the toll it takes on her both physically and emotionally. What's unfortunate about her is that she's so stubborn that it completely voids out rational thinking the majority of the time. She is given at least half a dozen signs and told just as often to leave the country, but decides to stay to try and protect her informer Maina (Morjana Alaoui) even though she never sees her after the opening scene. She's also given a gun by Lucas (Denis Menochet) and is told something along the lines of "just in case" and "you'll never know." Even when things go south, she's never seen using it. Instead she's given another gun later, which she also doesn't use. So Elsa can be a successful journalist and gain worldwide attention, but can't use basic logic even though her life in addition to eight others depends on it.

Djimon Hounsou has a really passionate performance, as well. He's so devoted to his mission and his men. Benoit Magimel as Tic-Tac is able to add some awkward charm. Raphael Personnaz is the biggest bad ass. The sniper exchange at the village is just insane. Raz Degan is fairly impressive as Zaief. While the character is pretty flat, it does seem like he does the best he can with what's in front of him. His cold eyes accompanied by his loathsome actions cause him to stand out in a sea of mediocrity.

"Special Forces" is incredibly similar to "Act of Valor" in story and tone. On the positive side, "Special Forces" doesn't feel as force fed as "Act of Valor" and has better, more emotionally charged performances in its second half. It could have been so much more though, especially if the first half of the film was written better and had more depth. You might actually care about the events that unfold in the process. "Special Forces" isn't very special at all. Predictable and run of the mill with terrible music and the most generic editing around, "Special Forces" feels like it lasts the 11 days it chronicles.

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