The casting of this war movie, set in Afghanistan in 2009, has novelty appeal. Two members of the ensemble, Scott Eastwood and Milo Gibson, are sons of famous actor-directors (Clint and Mel) who have made their own war films. Another player, Will Attenborough, is the grandson of Richard, a star of the World War II drama “The Great Escape.” And James Jagger’s father, Mick, while more a stage than screen figure, sometimes still sings of riding a tank and holding a general’s rank.
In a lesser film such family ties and resemblances could be a distraction, but in this well-crafted, fact-based tragedy of errors, they provide added value. When Eastwood’s character, the real-life Staff Sgt. Clint Romesha, is briefed on rules of engagement, he says of the general who ordered them, “Someone tell McChrystal that we’re not selling Popsicles out here, sir.” His line reading redefines “chip off the old block.”
Adapted from a nonfiction book by Jake Tapper and directed by Rod Lurie, “The Outpost” evolves from what initially feels like a collection of war-movie commonplaces, highlighting crude-talking soldiers in a bad situation, into something more complex and illuminating.
The men of this outpost are assigned to work with the local population. But they are sitting ducks both existentially and geographically. Their station is in a valley surrounded by mountains, just waiting to be overrun by Taliban fighters.
The movie uses unusual techniques (for example, allotting discrete sequences to whoever is in charge of the outpost at any given time) to unfold its narrative. On top of that, two members of the ensemble who are not sons of celebs, Orlando Bloom as a determined commander and Caleb Landry Jones as a wound-up specialist, also deliver near-career-high performances.
The Outpost
Rated R for language, wartime violence. Running time: 2 hours 3 minutes. Rent or buy on Google Play, iTunes and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.
Source: Movies - nytimes.com
