Movie Review - The Outpost (2020)

In terms of films about war and depictions of certain real-life battles, the bar has been set with Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998). This film doesn't exactly rise to that bar. However, if you look at the war films that have been nominated for Academy Awards over the past 20 years, even the Oscar for Best Picture, then I would argue that this film is just as good, if not better than those titles. It's not as much as a visual wonder and feat of great cinematography as 1917 (2019). It's not as much of a critique on war as Letters From Iwo Jima (2006) or The Hurt Locker (2009). It's not as jingoistic as American Sniper (2014) or evangelical as Hacksaw Ridge (2016).

Unlike some of the war films, this one is trying to be a faithful depiction of one specific, real-life battle. It's not necessarily trying to tell a grander story about the overall conflict. It's also not trying to be a character study. It's simply trying to show how a group of soldiers managed to get through an incredible gunfight when the odds are stacked against them. In a lot of ways, it reminded me of Lone Survivor (2013) and 12 Strong (2018). Both those films are specifically about the 2001 War in Afghanistan and about the intrinsic issues that are associated with that country and its conflict.

Director Rod Lurie (Resurrecting the Champ and The Contender) does faithfully depict the Battle of Kamdesh. He's working off a script by Oscar-nominated writers, Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson who both were brought to the Oscars due to their work for The Fighter (2010). Tamasy and Johnson are adapting a book by CNN journalist, Jake Tapper who seemed to document not only the Battle of Kamdesh but also the events leading up to it. It introduces us to two dozen soldiers who were there. A few of whom are played by well known actors, but it's more of an ensemble piece where there isn't a singular protagonist. It's really about the team.

The film could be divided into two parts. The second part is about the Battle of Kamdesh, which occurred on October 3, 2009. The first part is about what led to that battle. Specifically, it's about what was called PRT Kamdesh, a military base that is there as counterinsurgency and to help stop the flow of weapons and enemy fighters from Pakistan. Kamdesh is a town in northeast Afghanistan that's near the Pakistan border. Given that, the PRT is frequently a target of attacks from the Taliban. What makes things problematic is the placement of the PRT. It's established in a valley that is surrounded by mountains, which means that enemy fighters can easily fire and shoot at the soldiers on the base from high in the mountains where sometimes the soldiers can't see.

The first part starts in 2006. 2006 is when PRT Kamdesh was first built. We start with a group of men arriving at the base. The camera briefly focuses on the various men who get a title on screen of what their names are. We go through about two dozen men that way. As we do, we get brief nuggets of information about each of those men. We never drill too deeply into any of their lives. We basically follow them day-by-day or month-to-month, as they live and work on this base. At times, it feels like Jarhead (2005) in terms of the monotony or drudgery of being at war in a foreign country. Yet, it also feels like The Hurt Locker in that the soldiers aren't perpetually bored because their lives are threatened regularly, as we do see the Taliban attacking them almost daily.

As mentioned, titles appear on screen of the names of each of the soldiers. It's an efficient way to pay homage to those soldiers, but there's nearly two dozen, so anyone watching the film who has no idea who these men are previously wouldn't retain the memory of all of them. The structure though for the first part is built around the names of specific soldiers, particularly the captains of the base. The font size for the titles of all of the soldiers is pretty small and on the lower third of the screen. However, the font size for the titles of the captains is larger and in the center of the screen. Those larger titles are like chapter titles in the vein of Quentin Tarantino. We go through four captains overall.

Orlando Bloom (Black Hawk Down and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) plays Captain Benjamin D. Keating. He's the first captain that we meet at the base. He's very much a beloved leader among the soldiers there. He's tough and stern, but he has a warmth and charm to him that makes him personable and engaging. He's also not a leader that stands behind his men. He's very much in front.

He certainly contrasts with the captains who follow him. They include Captain Robert Yllescas, played by Milo Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge), and Captain Sylvanius Broward, played by Kwame Patterson (David Makes Man and The Wire). Each one is distinctive, even in their brief time at the base. They definitely make their marks in a short window.

Taylor John Smith (Sharp Objects and American Crime) plays Lt. Andrew Bundermann. He's present at the base since the beginning, but his rank in the beginning is First Lieutenant. Yet, he's the fourth and final captain of the base, despite him not being that much older than the other soldiers. In fact, he seems younger than a few of the other men. However, he does become acting captain when all Hell breaks loose. This is due to a number of reasons, but, on the day of October 3rd, the day of the surprise battle, he has to be the one to step up and take command, as well as make decisions to protect the base. Watching him evolve or be thrust into this position is compelling.

Of course, it wouldn't be if Lurie hadn't weaved together the battle scenes in brutal and gritty detail. It might not be as brutal and gritty as something as Black Hawk Down. It's also not as bombastic. It all feels genuine and realistic. In that, it's enthralling. What complicates things is that the soldiers are fish in a barrel. Unlike in other battles where the soldiers could spread out over a large area or retreat to a safe distance, this film depicts the men essentially trapped in a confined space. The base isn't that big and they're surrounded by mountains with small, windy roads that make escape difficult, so the second part, which encompasses the battle is exciting in what seems like chaos. Yet, Lurie has total control of that chaos.

The soldiers who fought in this battle are distinguished as being the most decorated until of the Afghanistan War. In fact, two soldiers in this unit received the Medal of Honor, which is the highest and most prestigious award a soldier can get. Those medals went to Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha, played by Scott Eastwood (Pacific Rim: Uprising and The Longest Ride), and to Staff Sergeant Ty Carter, played by Caleb Landry Jones (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and Get Out). I think the film does a good job of giving us what Carter experienced and his journey through this whole thing and Jones' performance is superb, even during the aftermath when despite his actions, he feels guilty about certain things.

Eastwood gets top billing here, but, ironically, his character of Romesha doesn't get the due that he perhaps deserves. His character here is a good one and well-utilized, but, if one reads all the things that the real-life Romesha did during this battle, this film seemingly only scratches the surface. This might be due to the fact that Eastwood was injured during the filming of this story and the real-life Romesha had another movie deal, separate from this one, so his involvement was limited.

Obviously, a documentary like Restrepo (2010), which is about another real-life Afghanistan battle where we see the real guys doing this, is infinitely better, but this film is the best approximation that one could hope for and be respectful of.

Rated R for war violence, grisly images, pervasive language and sexual references.
Running Time: 2 hrs. and 3 mins.

Available on Netflix.