Special Forces

This French/English/Arabic language military thriller from 2011, despite being saddled with a horribly generic, ‘Direct-To-DVD’-sounding title, is actually really well done. The fact the the filmmakers had the full cooperation of the French military goes a long way as the equipment, the tactics and the vehicles all feel legit with no CG enhancements. Stylistically, the flick owes much of its slick grittiness to films like Black Hawk Down and Blood Diamond, with a lot of tight editing and beautiful wide-angle cinematography. The plot is pretty standard: A French special forces team is sent into Pakistan to rescue a pair of journalists. Events transpire that leave them fleeing to the Afghani border with a large and determined group of Taliban fighters in hot pursuit. When not engaging in a series of swift, brutal and well-edited gun battles, they have to endure the unforgiving mountain terrain. People don’t end up looking pretty by the end of this one. All in all, it’s a slick military adventure done with flair and style. If you’re a fan of that sorta thing, give this one a shot.