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That's how they welcome a new group of soldiers at Kamdesh Outpost in Afghanistan. The mission here? To stay alive. But Kamdesh's location at the bottom of a remote valley, surrounded by mountains is going to make that mission really hard, regardless of how good or bad of a soldier you are.
Set during the "War on Terror", The Outpost follows the soldiers stationed at Kamdesh as they try to survive attacks by Taliban forces. Led by Captain Keating (Orlando Bloom), the group is used to fend off random attacks every day. However, things go awry when the enemy stages an attack with hundreds of soldiers threatening the safety of everyone.
This is a film I had seen mentioned in a couple of "Best Recent Action Films" list, but I just hadn't pulled the trigger on it yet. However, I was looking for something action-y that night, and this one delivered the goods. Not only does it have intense action sequences, but it manages to put forward a couple of really solid characters that are easy to root for.
The main ones that stand out are Sgt. Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood), Specialist Ty Carter (Caleb Landry Jones), and Lt. Andrew Bundermann (Taylor John Smith). All three actors have good performances and their characters have simple, but solid arcs. The rest of the supporting cast suffers a bit from being indistinctive at times, but it doesn't detract that much from the film.
The film does give a similar vibe to Black Hawk Down in more ways than one; group of soldiers trapped in enemy territory as endless hordes of enemies surround them. Even the close-up directing style is similar, but that doesn't mean it's not effective. I do wish the "enemies" were made to be more than just an "endless horde", but that's probably a matter for a different film. The mission here is to stay alive, and this one does.
Grade:
THE OUTPOST
(2019, Lurie)
(2019, Lurie)
"Doesn't matter what kind of soldier you are; good, bad... As far as I'm concerned, we all stay alive out here, we win."
That's how they welcome a new group of soldiers at Kamdesh Outpost in Afghanistan. The mission here? To stay alive. But Kamdesh's location at the bottom of a remote valley, surrounded by mountains is going to make that mission really hard, regardless of how good or bad of a soldier you are.
Set during the "War on Terror", The Outpost follows the soldiers stationed at Kamdesh as they try to survive attacks by Taliban forces. Led by Captain Keating (Orlando Bloom), the group is used to fend off random attacks every day. However, things go awry when the enemy stages an attack with hundreds of soldiers threatening the safety of everyone.
This is a film I had seen mentioned in a couple of "Best Recent Action Films" list, but I just hadn't pulled the trigger on it yet. However, I was looking for something action-y that night, and this one delivered the goods. Not only does it have intense action sequences, but it manages to put forward a couple of really solid characters that are easy to root for.
The main ones that stand out are Sgt. Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood), Specialist Ty Carter (Caleb Landry Jones), and Lt. Andrew Bundermann (Taylor John Smith). All three actors have good performances and their characters have simple, but solid arcs. The rest of the supporting cast suffers a bit from being indistinctive at times, but it doesn't detract that much from the film.
The film does give a similar vibe to Black Hawk Down in more ways than one; group of soldiers trapped in enemy territory as endless hordes of enemies surround them. Even the close-up directing style is similar, but that doesn't mean it's not effective. I do wish the "enemies" were made to be more than just an "endless horde", but that's probably a matter for a different film. The mission here is to stay alive, and this one does.
Grade: