The Patrol
Afghanistan, 2006, Helmand Province becomes one of the most dangerous places on Earth as the British Army is deployed into the Taliban heartland. The Operation, Herrick, became synonymous with the struggle as British troops fought a losing battle against this unseen enemy.
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- Cast:
- Owain Arthur , Nicholas Beveney , Daniel Fraser , Ben Righton , Nav Sidhu
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Reviews
Save your money for something good and enjoyable
Overrated
It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.
This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.
waste of £5 that I spent shopping, I spent 6 years as a tracker in SA and I've seen a better plot and action in a children's nappy, toy story has more convincing plot lines, even the basic maneuvers of this group would be wrong, terrible portrayal of the English army but on the plus side, the musical score was very good,maybe next time the crew go spend some time with a platoon, though, the scenery was excellent, i suppose it just made the English army disorganized and under supplied, the latter being true but give these boys a chance, being in a country they shouldn't be in, don't make them out to be like the characters in this movie!
My boyfriend persuaded me to go along and see this and I'm very pleased we did. It's a beautifully shot piece of independent cinema with a thought provoking storyline brought to life very well by the cast. It's the first film I have seen about UK soldiers on the frontline in Afghanistan which gave it a very unique angle. While clearly not having the budget of the Hurt Locker i can see why parallels have been drawn as it draws you into the emotions, stress and pressure of being in a war zone. I also loved that it doesn't have an agenda (maybe unlike the previous reviewer?!). Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys independent cinema and who is interested in a soldier's view of the conflict. Very enjoyable.
As someone who is fed up with watching countless American films about their involvement in their wars, I was fairly excited to watch this British take on the Afghanistan conflict. Unlike the American versions however, this film had an incredibly small budget. Having said that, the kit is good, the sound effects and the explosions etc are incredibly good. It's not perfect however, the storyline could be better and at times some voices seem dull. But all in all, with such a tight budget, this is an excellent film, I hope that this production team will get together once more and produce another film with a slightly bigger budget.
This is a triumph of British cinema, giving an account of a war which has come to embody the West's reaction to terrorism. An army patrol with no understanding of their mission, overcome by the futility of their orders and betrayed by their politicians - an embodiment not just of our forces' presence in Afghanistan but of the nation as a whole. An ever constant threat, an enemy never seen, and the boredom of military life - this is a tough act to pull off in cinema and retain the audience, but The Patrol succeeds by virtue of its honest approach. We empathise with the individual cast members and this makes the conclusion all the more gut wrenching. Any war film which doesn't follow the "gung ho" line will have its detractors, especially when depicting current conflicts with such brutal honesty. The Patrol deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible.