Howdy Folks!  It’s The Kendog with two new releases this week in the cinema!

Chris Hemsworth In “12 Strong”

First off we’ve got “12 Strong” the true tale of twelve soldiers led by Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth) in the first, top secret fight against the Taliban just after 9/11.  Directed by Nicolai Fuglsig from a script by Ted Tally and Peter Craig (based upon Doug Stanton’s “Horse Soldiers), “12 Strong” is surprisingly light on character development given the fact that it’s based on a true story.  It feels more like a patriotic propaganda piece than a true-life experience and it takes away from the emotion one might feel if the characters were a little more fleshed out.  Hemsworth leads a cast that includes Michael Shannon, Michael Pena and William Fichtner, but all of these talented actors are trapped in cardboard, clichéd characters.  The best performance goes to Navid Negahban as General Dostum, the Afghani warlord charged with helping the Americans fight the Taliban.  Negahban has a sense a gravitas that helps improve Hemsworth’s performance as Nelson.  The two have good chemistry and serves as a reminder of how good the film would have been if the rest of the cast had been given this much meat for their characters.   Continue reading →