‘12 Strong’ review: Solid, enjoyable war movie

Nicolai Fuglsig’s “12 Strong,” about the dozen men who became the first U.S. Army soldiers to enter Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, is a fairly straightforward and enjoyable movie about an extremely complicated and demoralizing war. Its goal is to focus on a small group of heroes, and it shows little interest in the bigger picture.

Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer (“Armageddon” and many other blockbusters), “12 Strong” chooses a familiar formula and sticks with it. Our real-life protagonist, Capt. Mitch Nelson, now looks like a movie star (Chris Hemsworth, likable and inoffensive), and his Special Forces crew includes a range of familiar types, from the jovial Sam Diller (Michael Peña) to the hard-nosed Hal Spencer (a dependably fierce Michael Shannon). When the planes hit the Twin Towers, these men say goodbye to their families and hop a military transport to a far-flung country that had suddenly become synonymous with international terror.

On the ground, Nelson and his men will learn about Islamic fanaticism, suicide bombers, fractious tribes — all the tropes that would eventually become familiar to the news-reading public. Their greatest teacher is Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum (Navid Negahban), a battle-weary but unbowed warlord who becomes another trope: the native warrior who will help the Westerner find his primal self. Dostum also, however, admits he is a necessarily fickle ally and warns Nelson that Afghanistan is the “graveyard of empires.” His future political career would be tainted by accusations of killing civilians and prisoners, but the film does not mention this.

“12 Strong” has little time for such details, because it is first and foremost an action film. Debut director Fuglsig handles the battle scenes confidently, with a mix of Hollywood hokum — our heroes have amazingly good aim — and the unusual sight of American soldiers charging at tanks on horseback. (The film is based on Doug Stanton’s book “Horse Soldiers.”) If anything, that visual and symbolic aspect of the story could have been played up much further.

In the end, it’s hard to grouse about a movie that mainly wants to salute a dozen men who served their country. It’s also hard to shake the feeling, though, that there’s a lot more left to say.