Kandahár

I just love these Butler flicks. They are all pretty much the same, I sit glued to my seat at every one of them and watch the action with my mouth open, and how the guy does it is a mystery to me. Anyway, Kandahar is action-packed, this time in Afghanistan, where just about everyone who can hold a gun is after Butler, and so cars, motorcycles, ISIS, government troops, they all want him dead from all sides. It's not quite as intense as his other films, and it drags a bit towards the end, but a positive sense of satisfaction still prevails. The action is good, the cinematography and the desert scenery are a treat and the helicopter chase scene is a great highlight of the whole film. If you enjoyed his previous films Plane, Last Seen Alive or the whole London Has Fallen series, I warmly recommend Kandahar as well. (2023.07.30)

When Gerard Butler emergency-landed a Boeing in the Philippines last time, I thought he was stepping up his game with better roles. However, in Kandahar, he's back to his less impressive parts. Admittedly, the film wasn't terrible, and my one-star rating might not be entirely fair, but I'm all about the subjective take. Despite plenty of action, I felt no real tension or concern for the main characters' fates. The story just didn't grab me, and I couldn't care less about any of the characters. Being an American production, it was loaded with fake introspection and even suggested that if Muslims read the Quran, maybe fewer would become terrorists (?!!!?). The film also hammered in the obligatory family values and drowned the whole package in a hefty dose of sentimentality. It just wasn't for me. / Lesson learned: Melting down nuclear reactors seems extremely unecological. (2024.07.12)