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I’m all for a juicy, action-packed Gerard Butler movie. A Gerard Butler movie that wants to have its geopolitics taken seriously is a different matter. And honestly, it’s an even more different matter when the movie is not particularly juicy or, you know, action-packed.

In this picture, directed by Ric Roman Waugh (who guided Butler through 2019’s “ Angel Has Fallen ” and 2020’s “ Greenland ”), Butler plays Tom Harris, a CIA black ops agent we first see planting explosives to stymie Iran’s nuclear program. A commendable idea, the film thinks we would all agree. In a rooftop phone conversation a little later, we learn he’s estranged from the mother of his daughter—no kidding!—because he’s addicted to the job—of course! And also that he’s got a limited amount of time to get on a plane to England to attend his daughter’s graduation.

Butler’s character in this year’s far superior “ Plane ” had the same deadline challenge, only in that movie, the daughter was graduating college, whereas this daughter looks like she’s only graduating high school.

Well. This development certainly made me sit up and take notice. How many stale ingredients was this script by Mitchell LaFortune to serve up? Let me sort of count the ways. First off, surprise, Harris does not catch his plane to Gatwick. Second, he has to join forces with an Afghan translator, Mo ( Navid Negahban ), and, um, even though they are culturally Worlds Apart, they form a Strong Bond that sustains and changes Harris’ mind about certain things. Once whatever cover these two guys have has been blown, they’ve got to reach the title Afghan city in order to get back to where they ostensibly belong. It takes a whole 50 minutes of indifferent cloak and dagger before we get our first car chase.

Which is tracked by CIA overlords in a kind of war room where many of their moves are captured by drone cameras. When Harris pulls a fancy maneuver in a pickup truck, one of the observers says, “I like this guy, he’s good,” like a sports commentator or something.

In a pause in the action, such as it is, Mo gives Tom some advice about the importance of getting to his kith and kin: “You have to go home and hold them in your hearts before you forget what it feels like.” Do screenwriters think dialogue like this gets stronger the more you recycle it? At a Militia camp, Tom relaxes with a tribal leader of his acquaintance, who offers this pearl: “The harder you try to stamp out an ideology, the stronger it becomes.” No kidding. Mo recognizes this cat as a warlord who conducted a campaign of slaughter in which Mo’s own son was killed and calls him out. This leads to a standoff that doesn’t have, well, the juice that it aspires to. And it also emboldens Mo to face down Tom about how the misery in this region is because of interlopers like the U.S. Fair point—finally!—but at this late point in the movie, it smacks of lip service.

What’s left? More chases, one rendered in different shades of night vision to mostly obfuscating effect; some noble self-sacrifice from a supporting Special Forces guy, a buildup to a showdown with the enigmatic motorcycle rider who’s been pursuing Tom since that first car chase ( Ali Fazal , maintaining his cool), and who wants out of the game as soon as he’s eliminated this target. In other words, all the usual suspects. And they all are kind of tired.

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Glenn Kenny

Glenn Kenny was the chief film critic of Premiere magazine for almost half of its existence. He has written for a host of other publications and resides in Brooklyn. Read his answers to our Movie Love Questionnaire here .

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Film credits.

Kandahar (2023)

Rated R for violence and language.

119 minutes

Gerard Butler as Tom Harris

Navid Negahban as Mo

Ali Fazal as Kahil

Bahador Foladi as Farzad Asadi

Olivia-Mai Barrett as Ida Harris

Rebecca Calder as Corrine Harris

Vassilis Koukalani as Bashar

Hakeem Jomah as Rasoul

• Ric Roman Waugh
• Mitchell LaFortune

Cinematographer

• Colby Parker Jr.
• David Buckley

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Review: Gerard Butler makes the unwieldy ‘Kandahar’ worthwhile

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Our macho action movie auteurs are starting to reckon with the tragic situation in Afghanistan, which fell to the Taliban after the withdrawal of the United States in 2021. On the heels of “Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant” comes Ric Roman Waugh’s “Kandahar,” starring Gerard Butler, a brutal actioner crawling with Taliban, ISIS-K and various covert operatives.

But while Butler vehicles are typically lean, mean, action-cinema delivery machines, Waugh’s “Kandahar” is not the usually efficient Butlerian fare such as “Plane,” or even “Greenland,” the previous film on which this director and star collaborated. Yes, Butler does play a sad single dad on his way to meet up with his daughter, as he did in “Plane” (if he has a flight to catch, something crazy is about to go down), but “Kandahar” is much bigger and broader.

Screenwriter Mitchell LaFortune, a U.S. Army and Defense Intelligence Agency veteran, brings a sense of authenticity to this complicated tale of contemporary spy fiction that attempts to encompass warring terrorist factions, fascist regimes, CIA black ops, Pentagon whistleblowers and kidnapped journalists, as well as reckon with the enduring trauma of the 20-year war.

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The premise itself is simple enough: Butler plays Tom Harris, an MI6 agent on loan to the CIA tasked with blowing up an Iranian nuclear reactor by a deep cover operative named Roman ( Travis Fimmel ). He’s then sent by Roman to Afghanistan for one last gig, but when his cover is blown, he needs to make a quick escape, crossing 400 miles of desert to Kandahar, where he will be picked up by a British plane. Accompanying him is his translator, Muhammad (Navid Negahban). Hot on their heels are Farzad (Bahador Foladi), an emissary from the Iranian supreme leader hoping to capture the spy who destroyed their reactor, and a Pakistani agent from ISIS-K, Kahil ( Ali Fazal ), who has contracted the Afghani Taliban to help him grab Tom and sell him on the black market.

It’s a basic chase story, but the first 45 minutes of setup are hopelessly convoluted. It’s clear Waugh and LaFortune want to plant a variety of characters, motivations and back stories, creating a nuanced look at the situation that doesn’t blindly condemn or damn an entire swath of people, but there are one too many story lines and two too many characters to keep track of as we continually cut away from Tom and Muhammad’s harrowing journey.

The sweeping desert landscape is part “Lawrence of Arabia” and part “Mad Max” — Waugh borrows shots to capture the black-clad Kahil tearing through the desert on a motorcycle, surveying his prey from steep hillsides. Mononymous cinematographer MacGregor captures it all with a busy camera, the lens constantly moving, wobbling and focusing, infusing the proceedings with anxiety. Anguished close-ups dissolve over the desert landscape to the sound of mournful pop ballads underscoring the sorrowful nature of the characters’ circumstances.

“Kandahar” is a step above the Butler B-movie pleasures to which we’ve grown accustomed, but while Waugh and LaFortune attempt to fit the action star into this complex geopolitical narrative, it’s clear they are caught between a realism rock and a Hollywood hard place, succumbing to familiar, problematic tropes in order to bring this unwieldy yarn home. Still, it’s a pleasure to see Butler do his thing opposite a talented array of international performers — Fazal and Fimmel are standouts — and stretch his specific set of skills into more complex contemporary storytelling, making “Kandahar” worth the trip.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

In English and Arabic with English subtitles Rating: R, for violence and language Running time: 2 hours Playing: Starts Friday in general release

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‘kandahar’ review: gerard butler’s cia thriller is déjà vu all over again.

The veteran action movie star plays a CIA operative trying to escape Afghanistan with the help of his translator.

By Frank Scheck

Frank Scheck

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The U.S. government might have done poorly by Afghan translators in real life, but Hollywood is attempting to make up for it with a vengeance.

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To its credit, the film directed by frequent Butler collaborator Ric Roman Waugh ( Angel Has Fallen , Greenland ) feels more serious and authentic than Ritchie’s film. That’s no doubt due to its screenwriter, Mitchell LaFortune, a former military intelligence officer who sold this script, supposedly based on his real-life experiences, on spec. (It’s a great story, made even better by his name, which should be adorning the covers of paperback thrillers.) The script takes its time getting to the action, providing plenty of background texture regarding the region’s tense dynamics and alternating between the viewpoints of the Americans and Afghans and Iranians. Some action fans might say the film takes too long, considering its numerous talky interludes.

Butler, in the sort of role that he’s turned into a personal franchise, plays Tom Harris, a CIA operative who successfully manages such daunting assignments as taking out an Iranian nuclear facility. Well, not fully successfully, since his role in the operation is revealed in a leak by a Pentagon whistleblower and brought to public attention by a female journalist (Elenaaz Noruouzi), who is promptly arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard. Her story is one of several subplots in the film that are potentially interesting but frustratingly undeveloped.

As the pair make their way across the dangerous territory, they’re pursued by numerous Afghan forces, as well as Kahil (Ali Fazal, Death on the Nile , Victoria & Abdul ), a soulful, motorcycle-driving assassin working for a bad guy who says about Harris, “We’ll sell him on the open market.” The burnt-out Kahil wants to make this his last job before getting a transfer to somewhere like London or Paris. Since he has the looks of a male model who once fronted a boy band, it seems like a reasonable desire.

The film, shot entirely in Saudi Arabia, ambitiously attempts to be more than a simple actioner with such scenes as Harris delivering a long, impassioned speech to Mo about how America has mistreated his country and the pair meeting with a warlord who turns out to be responsible for the murder of Mo’s son. But those moments don’t succeed in carrying the intended dramatic weight, and the numerous action sequences, while competently staged, prove equally underwhelming. It all feels very, very familiar, down to the world-weary Harris desperately hoping to return home alive so he can be reunited with his teenage daughter. (Butler’s previous and better movie, Plane , featured the exact same storyline. Isn’t survival for its own sake enough?)

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Kandahar (2023)

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‘Kandahar’ Review: Gerard Butler Does What Gerard Butler Does in Throwback Geopolitical Thriller

Christian zilko.

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In between stops on his quest to conquer every form of transportation known to man — “Plane” hit theaters in January and its sequel “Ship” is on the way — Butler found time to take a trip to the desert. His latest attempt at lucrative obscurity , Ric Roman Waugh’s “Kandahar,” sees him playing an elite CIA operative trying to navigate the labyrinth of underground nuclear weapons programs in the Middle East after the United States’ rushed withdrawal from Afghanistan turned the region into even more of a Wild West than it already was. Related Stories ‘Little Empty Boxes’ Review: Dementia Documentary Can’t Escape the Impossibility of Treating a Disease with No Easy Answers ‘Mourning in Lod’ Review: A Small but Potent Documentary About an Israeli Kidney Transplanted Into a Palestinian Body

Tom Harris — a Butler protagonist always needs one of the most generic names on the planet — is one of the CIA’s best men. A former MI6 agent (gotta explain Butler’s accent somehow!), Harris’ undercover work as a telecommunications repairman has become an essential part of the agency’s plan to identify and blow up underground nuclear weapons facilities in Iran.

But — stop if you’ve heard this one before — his devotion to his job has left his personal life in a shambles. A call from his wife makes it clear that his presence at his daughter’s upcoming graduation is non-negotiable — and while he’s at it, he really needs to get around to signing those divorce papers she sent over.

He’s ready to pack up his things and head home to be a father for once, but an old CIA friend asks for his help with one last job. Tom isn’t interested, but reconsiders when he learns he could put his daughter through medical school with three days of work. All he has to do is cross the border into Afghanistan and travel through some of the most hostile Taliban-occupied territory to blow up a nuclear power plant.

These movies all come with a certain predictability — it’s probably not a spoiler to reveal that Butler plays a total badass who is capable of prevailing whenever all of the guys in suits insist that he’s screwed. But the most surprising thing about “Kandahar” is how sharp the writing is. Former special ops agent Mitchell LaFortune’s tight script makes a point to balance spectacle with something resembling substance, portraying multiple intelligence agencies from around the world working together to execute an impossible mission. Many of the action sequences leave something to be desired, but they never derail the film because they’re all justified with clever plot choices.

For better or worse, “Kandahar” is a throwback to the kind of Tom Clancy-inspired geopolitical thrillers that used to be a bi-weekly occurrence in the 1990s. But if you’ve ever found yourself wondering why Hollywood doesn’t make films like “The Hunt for Red October” or “Air Force One” anymore, you might have found your new favorite movie.

An Open Road Films release, “Kandahar” is now playing in theaters.

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‘Kandahar’ Review: Marooned in a Dull Movie

Gerard Butler plays an undercover C.I.A. agent hunted by various foes in an underwhelming action film devoid of any suspense or, well, action.

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By Elisabeth Vincentelli

Everybody wants to find the undercover C.I.A. agent Tom Harris (Gerard Butler), who is marooned while on a mission in Afghanistan: the Taliban, an Iranian hound, ISIS, a Pakistani secret operative. The only people who won’t be on his tail are those looking for a good action film — the stupefyingly sluggish “Kandahar” isn’t it.

For his third collaboration with the director Ric Roman Waugh after “Greenland” (by far the best of the three, from 2021) and “Angel Has Fallen” (2019), Butler has picked a rather ineffective vehicle, just like when Tom and his translator, Mo, steal a car that promptly gets a flat as they rush to catch a flight out of Kandahar.

Not only is the pace tepid at best, but Tom is a bore, with at least three characters more intriguing than he is. Chief among them is Mo, portrayed by the excellent Navid Negahban (“Homeland,” “Aladdin”). An Afghan exile, he has returned home to try to locate his sister-in-law — a more compelling quest than Butler’s, whose prime motivation is … what exactly? Not being late to his daughter’s graduation in London? The nominal star is constantly overshadowed by his co-stars, who also include Ali Fazal as the dashing, motorcycle-riding Pakistani agent and Bahador Foladi as Iran’s answer to Inspector Javert.

More aggravating is the way “Kandahar” keeps bringing up girls and women — on a large scale, the Taliban oppresses them; on a more intimate one, Tom is an absentee husband and father — without actually giving any of them decent screen time. The lip service only makes that absence more noticeable.

Kandahar Rated R for language and ridiculous roughness. Running time: 2 hours. In theaters.

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Kandahar (2023) Review

Kandahar (2023)

A Gerard Butler action movie? From the director of the risible Angel Has Fallen ? With a single word for a title (see also: Greenland , Geostorm , Plane )? Quietly and unceremoniously released on a streaming service? It’s fair to say that nobody was expecting Oscars for Kandahar . But while it certainly won’t be troubling Academy voters’ longlists, that initial weight of expectations is not entirely fair to it.

For while this film does, for the most part, fit neatly into Gerry B’s B-movie era, it is also a surprisingly mature and thoughtful entry on his prolific CV, a film that’s at least trying to be meaty rather than meat-headed. This is not a straight-up action movie. Working from a spec script by former military intelligence officer Mitchell LaFortune, who brings a modest level of verisimilitude that these sorts of films often lack, it has aspirations to be a high-minded, twisty geopolitical thriller, sober in tone and serious in themes.

Mostly mature, considered stuff, from a director-star combo who seem keen to defy expectations.

Here, Butler plays Tom Harris (joining the hallowed ranks of Mike Banning, Bob Viddick, and ‘Big Nick’ O’Brien in blokey Butler character names). Harris is a freelance spook; when we meet him, he’s posing as an electricity contractor, secretly undercover for the CIA, working to destroy a nuclear research facility in Iran. When a journalist (Nina Toussaint-White) is captured by Iran’s notorious security services, Harris’ true identity is leaked to the international press, and he’s forced to make a hasty exit, aided by translator and handler Mo (Navid Negahban). The pair must make the treacherous journey to Kandahar, where a British cargo plane awaits, pursued by Pakistani security services, Iranian military, Taliban warlords, and more.

If this story — of a Westerner attempting to escape Afghanistan with a local — sounds a lot like Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant , well, yes, there are some similarities. But that’s unfortunate timing, because Kandahar has a lot more on its mind than, say, Plane . It’s not short on well-directed action — a cat-and-mouse night chase in the desert between a truck and a helicopter is particularly tense — but in-between Butler’s usual bread-and-butter, there’s effort to consider the costly consequences of America’s recent interventions in the region. In particular, the film acknowledges the human fallout from the 2021 fall of Kabul to the Taliban, and the devastation left in a country seemingly doomed to endless tragedy. In a surprisingly moving scene, Butler’s character expresses guilt and regret over the memory of an Afghan translator who stayed with him through six tours — only to be hanged by ISIL.

By the third act, it follows a bit more of a familiar escape-from-a-warzone playbook, with a conclusion that won’t leave anyone surprised. The geopolitical machinations, meanwhile, are fairly surface-level; Kathryn Bigelow and Mark Boal need not be too worried by any pretenders to their throne. But this is mostly mature, considered stuff, from a director-star combo who seem keen to defy expectations and move above their usual cheap-and-cheerful prospects.

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Shooting, explosions in decent Afghanistan-set actioner.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

No matter the odds, it's important to protect thos

Tom Harris, is resourceful and brave but probably

While the movie is set in Afghanistan, and the maj

Guns and shooting, sometimes fatal. Bloody wounds.

Sporadic uses of "f--k," "s--t," "motherf----r," "

Brief party sequence with drinking, smoking. Brief

Parents need to know that Kandahar is an action movie set in Afghanistan. After Black Ops agent Tom Harris (Gerard Butler) blows up an Iranian nuclear facility and his identity is compromised, he must escape the country alongside his interpreter, Mohammad "Mo" Doud (Navid Negahban). Violence is intense and…

Positive Messages

No matter the odds, it's important to protect those who need your help and return to your loved ones. There's an overall anti-war message, too, with lines like "ancient wars were fought for spoils; modern wars aren't meant to be won." Death means something here, and characters mourn their fallen friends or family. But at the very end, someone argues that "you must return home to know what you're fighting for," indicating that fighting must go on, even if there's no clear reason for it.

Positive Role Models

Tom Harris, is resourceful and brave but probably not the best role model. He does what he does out of a sense of guilt/malaise, and violence is often a solution (with few repercussions). In general, characters seem exhausted and burnt out by fighting and disgusted by what it all means.

Diverse Representations

While the movie is set in Afghanistan, and the majority of people seen on screen are of Middle Eastern descent, the story centers on a White man (Scottish actor Gerard Butler), with other White men (such as Australian-born Travis Fimmel) in supporting roles. Translator Mohammad "Mo" Doud (Iranian-born Navid Negahban) is a sympathetic character -- he shows mercy, and he's a devoted family man -- but his role is primarily to support Butler's White hero. On the other hand, at least some of the villains (mercenaries, members of the Taliban) are humanized, with explanations provided for their actions. The main villain is played by Indian actor Ali Fazal. Female characters aren't prominent, but one, a journalist, is played by Grenadian actor Nina Toussaint-White.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

Guns and shooting, sometimes fatal. Bloody wounds. Dead bodies. Blood puddles. Huge explosions. Helicopter crash. Motor vehicle chases. Woman abducted from hotel room. Four corpses on ground, with blood trails on the wall from where they were shot; a character takes a selfie with the corpses. Characters chained by wrists. Character beaten. Child sets trap with bomb. Corpses hang from an excavator arm. Soldiers beat people in the street. Threats.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sporadic uses of "f--k," "s--t," "motherf----r," "a--hole," "bitch," "my God," "Jesus," "idiot."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Brief party sequence with drinking, smoking. Brief vaping. Brief cigar-smoking. Brief beer-drinking.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Kandahar is an action movie set in Afghanistan. After Black Ops agent Tom Harris ( Gerard Butler ) blows up an Iranian nuclear facility and his identity is compromised, he must escape the country alongside his interpreter, Mohammad "Mo" Doud (Navid Negahban). Violence is intense and includes guns and shooting (with fatalities), bloody wounds, dead bodies, pools of blood, explosions, vehicle chases and crashes, a woman being abducted from her hotel room, a man chained by the wrists and tortured, and more. A character also takes a selfie with four corpses and the blood trails from where they were shot. Language is strong, with several uses of "f--k," plus "s--t," "motherf----r," "a--hole," "bitch," "my God," "Jesus," and "idiot." People drink and smoke briefly during a party, and other scenes briefly show cigar-smoking and vaping. The movie starts off pretty rough, with lots of exposition and little character development, but as it narrows its focus, it becomes gripping and even moving. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Based on 1 parent review

Action /intense political special ops movie

What's the story.

In KANDAHAR, Tom Harris ( Gerard Butler ) is working for the CIA as Special Ops in the Middle East. On his latest assignment, he manages to blow up an Iranian nuclear facility. Unfortunately, a whistleblower has given information about the program to a journalist (Nina Toussaint-White), and Tom's position is compromised. Even worse, he's just been assigned a new interpreter, Mohammad Doud, nicknamed "Mo" (Navid Negahban), and Mo's life is now in danger, too. Pursued by the relentless Kahil ( Ali Fazal ) and most of the Taliban's forces, Tom and Mo must cross 400 miles of hostile terrain to get to Kandahar, Afghanistan, where they have a slim chance of escaping back to the United States.

Is It Any Good?

This Afghanistan-set actioner starts off pretty rough, with tons of exposition and little character, but as it moves along and narrows its focus, it becomes surprisingly gripping, even emotional. Stuntman-turned-director Ric Roman Waugh pulled off a similar trick in his last outing with Butler, the asteroid disaster movie Greenland , and even though Kandahar isn't nearly as effective, it has similar touches. First-time screenwriter Mitchell LaFortune packs his thorough script with details, and, rather than taking chintzy shortcuts, it feels like a fleshed-out world.

That said, as it leaps all over from Iran to Afghanistan to Dubai and introduces many characters in a short amount of time, without much context for who they are and what their relationships are, Kandahar is initially frustrating. But once Tom and Mo start their long escape attempt, things ramp up. Viewers learn that Tom has served six tours in the Middle East and is no longer convinced that he's fighting for anything that matters. And he feels guilt over the loss of his previous translator and putting Mo in danger, as well as for neglecting his family by being away. And so the choices made by both Tom and Mo -- often more personal than patriotic -- carry some weight. Indeed, Kandahar is often more heartbreaking than it is exciting. It's an action movie with a soul.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Kandahar 's violence . How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?

What does the movie have to say about war? Does war accomplish anything? Is it necessary to continue fighting? Why, or why not?

How does the theme of family play into the story? Why do characters fight in other countries, rather than remain at home with their loved ones?

Do you consider Tom Harris a role model ? Does he act out of honor? Patriotism? Self-interest? Anything else?

Movie Details

• In theaters : May 26, 2023
• On DVD or streaming : June 16, 2023
• Cast : Gerard Butler , Navid Negahban , Ali Fazal
• Director : Ric Roman Waugh
• Inclusion Information : Middle Eastern/North African actors, Indian/South Asian actors
• Studio : Open Road Films
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 120 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : violence and language
• Last updated : July 14, 2023

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‘Kandahar’: Same plot as ‘Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant,’ but meh

Gerard butler plays a cia contractor trapped in afghanistan with his interpreter and hunted by bad guys.

If you want to see a good movie about a warrior stranded in hostile territory in Afghanistan who’s trying to get himself and his Afghan interpreter to safety in Kandahar without getting killed, I’d recommend “ Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant ,” now available on Apple TV Plus , Google Play , Prime Video , YouTube and other platforms. A departure for the director of such violent, gleefully vulgar action-comedies as “Snatch” and “The Gentlemen,” Ritchie’s latest film, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Dar Salim, is a moving testament to our obligation to the Afghan civilians who helped the U.S. military while we were there, many of whom were left behind only to go into hiding or be killed.

If, however, you’re willing to settle for a by-the-book action-adventure with almost the exact same plot, brought to you by the star and director of the dumb thrillers “ Angel Has Fallen ” and “ Greenland ,” well, ladies and gentlemen, I give you “Kandahar,” starring Gerard Butler and directed by Ric Roman Waugh.

Butler plays MI-6 agent Tom Harris, on loan to the CIA as the film opens and working undercover as a repairman for a Swiss telecom company (while actually sabotaging an Iranian nuclear power plant). When his handler (Travis Fimmel) convinces Tom to take a second job that entails him operating out of Herat, just over the boarder from Iran in Afghanistan, his cover is blown when a journalist (Nina Toussaint-White) — careless about intel she has been given by a Pentagon whistleblower — identifies Tom’s company to an Iranian intelligence officer (Bahador Foladi).

In short order, Tom and his interpreter Mo (Navid Negahban) are in a race against time to catch a U.S. flight out of the country from an unused CIA base in Kandahar, 400 miles away, while evading murderous thugs from the Taliban, an officer with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (Ali Fazal) and even a treacherous leader of a Tajik militia group (Ray Haratian), who is only too happy to sell out his old friend Tom when the opportunity presents itself.

The proceedings, while capably staged and with an only moderately interesting subtext about the ageless inevitability of tribal war in that part of the world, are loud and violent. So, to some extent, was “Covenant.” But the new film has none of the earlier film’s emotional resonance. (Ritchie took his sweet time setting up why we should care about Salim’s Ahmed. The whole point of “Covenant” is about honoring commitments.)

“Kandahar,” on the other hand, just wants to get Tom and Mo home, to London and Baltimore, where Tom lives and Mo has relocated, respectively. While the action transpires in Afghanistan, we sometimes watch it over the shoulder of a heartless CIA bureaucrat at Langley named Lowe (Mark Arnold), on a Jumbotron that somehow is playing live drone footage of the whole perilous operation. At one point, Lowe says of Tom, “I like this guy. He is good.” Got it.

“Kandahar” is very much a box-ticking exercise, with Butler playing the same kind of hero — perhaps literally the same guy — he has built a career out of. Somehow, the movie “ Plane ” from earlier this year, a thriller in which Butler finds his jet pilot character trapped with an escaped murderer (Mike Colter) on a jungle island crawling with Filipino separatists, managed to actually satisfy a certain primal urge, the cinematic equivalent of junk food.

Based on its merits alone, “Kandahar” isn’t that much worse than “Plane.” It’s only when you hold it up against “The Covenant” that it feels not just like a letdown, but a betrayal.

R. Area theaters. Contains violence and strong language. 120 minutes.

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• DVD & Streaming
• Action/Adventure , Drama , War

Content Caution

In Theaters

• May 26, 2023
• Gerard Butler as Tom Harris; Navid Negahban as Mohammad “Mo” Doud; Travis Fimmel as Roman; Ali Fazal as Kahil Nazir; Bahador Foladi as Farzad Asadi

Home Release Date

• June 16, 2023
• Ric Roman Waugh

Distributor

Movie review.

If you have an international problem that you want solved—while keeping things on the down low—you turn to Tom Harris. He’s the kind of CIA black-ops agent who reconnoiters, plans and always follows through on a given mission with precision.

Of course, that kind of skilled delivery creates its own problems. It means he’s in demand. Constant travel to points unknown pretty much ruined his marriage. And it’s taking its toll on Tom’s relationship with his young daughter, too. She’s about to graduate from high school, and his ex-wife has already warned Tom that he better not miss the event.

He doesn’t plan to. I mean, if there’s anyone who makes Tom take a step back, it’s his ex.

After running point on a mission that leaves the Iranian nuclear program in shambles, Tom wraps things up and heads to the airport. But on a layover in Dubai, Tom’s next flight is cancelled. Oh, and he gets a call from an operative friend, Roman, who just might have had something to do with that cancellation.

Seems Roman wants his dependable bud to help out with a hugely important, but very brief, project. It shouldn’t take a guy like Tom more than a few days to see it through. Then Tom can head off to his daughter’s graduation. Roman even promises to sweeten the deal with a few stacks of cash. Hey, why shouldn’t CIA good guys pick up a little college-fund cash for their kids when they can?

Tom agrees to help. And he heads off to Afghanistan to meet the interpreter Roman’s set up there and to get things a hoppin’.

What Tom isn’t aware of, however, is that the Supreme Leader of Iran is still pretty angry after the explosive outcome of Tom’s recent nuclear-facility sabotage operation. The leader looks weak. He looks powerless. And supreme leaders don’t like that look. Especially when it’s at the hands of the Great Satan: America.

So Iranian officer Farzad Asadi has been given his orders. He’s put every bit of Iranian intelligence into the problem, kidnapped and tortured a local reporter, revealed American Pentagon sources. And now he’s honing in on a CIA operative named Tom Harris. In fact, every terrorist militant and thug in the Middle East is drooling over the price that’s been slapped on Tom’s head. When Tom lands in Afghanistan, he’s thinking about his daughter’s next step in life. But he needs to be worrying about his own.

Positive Elements

In the short, intense and frenetic time that Tom and his local interpreter, Mo, have together, they form a friendship. Mo, his friends and his family members have all suffered because of American actions, but he still gives his trust to Tom. The two men put their lives on the line for one another. After realizing that he has placed Tom in a dangerous situation, Roman rallies reinforcements to help him and Mo.

Mo (who has become a citizen of the US) asks a female acquaintance to leave Afghanistan and travel to America. But she refuses to do so, rather declaring that she will stay to fight for the hard-won freedoms that Afghani women briefly enjoyed.

In fact, one of the reasons that Mo returned to Afghanistan for the interpreting job was to help find his wife’s missing sister. Tom promises Mo that no matter what happens, he will help him find the missing woman.

Spiritual Elements

Kandahar clearly tries to depict Islam in a positive light. We see several different men kneeling to pray. One talks about studying the lessons of the Quran. Roman holds up his prayer beads at one point and declares that the religion has helped him find peace.

Mo, who is also a Muslim, comes face to face with a duplicitous man who killed his son years before. And though it’s obvious that he’s still filled with grief and anger, he tells the man, “God may not forgive your sins, but I do.”

A Muslim man is shot near the end of the film; the camera watches him as he dies and declares, “There is no god except Allah … Mohammed is the messenger of Allah … the gentle … the merciful … the kind.”

Sexual Content

We see a foreign agent in bed with a woman. They’re apparently unclothed, but they’re strategically covered by a sheer sheet.

Violent Content

This is a war film, so there’s an abundance of violence on tap in one form or another. Near the beginning, an underground nuclear facility explodes, killing seemingly hundreds and leaving the area smoking and on fire. During various chase scenes, vehicles are smashed, detonated and riddled with high-caliber weapons. Two large groups of military vehicles are decimated by explosive ordnance.

A truck flips end over end after being hit with an RPG shell.

Tom, Mo and others engage in a shoot-out with a helicopter in the dead of night. Several men get picked off thanks to infrared technology. The helicopter eventually crashes and burns on the ground.

We see lots of up close and personal deaths. Men are shot by automatic weapons, rifles and hand guns. Blood spatters the walls and vehicle windows. We see a couple of men executed with shots to the head. After an explosion in a public square, the bloodied bodies of the dead are scattered on the ground.

Two men run at each other while shooting pistols. One is shot in the side and leg. The other is hit in the neck, and we watch as he struggles to staunch the spurting blood.

A female reporter is manhandled, bound and dragged off. Later after what appears to have been torture, she is questioned.

We see victims hanging by their necks from a crane. Tom and Mo are badly wounded and bloodied, including bloody wounds on their bodies and tears and scrapes on their faces.

Crude or Profane Language

There are a dozen uses of the f-word and a handful of s-words in the movie’s dialogue, along with a use or two each of “b–ch” and “a–hole.” Jesus’ name is profaned once.

Drug and Alcohol Content

At several different points, people drink beer, wine, champagne, mixed drinks and glasses of hard alcohol. Tom sips from a flask.

We see people smoking cigarettes, and one man smokes a cigar.

Other Negative Elements

The film repeatedly points to the failings of the United States government. Nearly everyone decries America’s choices as manipulative, destructive and foul. Even Tom notes the hardships that anyone in the Middle East suffers if they help the U.S. In fact, the only American operatives, beside Tom, who seem to have any shred of honor are the ones who have immersed themselves in other cultures and other faiths in the Middle East.

Generally, when you seek out a good war movie, you look for intense action, a worthy cause to believe in and some good guys to cheer for. And that’s, well, sorta, kinda, almost what you get with Kandahar .

CIA operative Tom Harris and his beleaguered interpreter are caught behind Middle Eastern battle lines. They’re trying to help each other back to safety while various factions of bloodthirsty terrorists and killers seek their heads.

The problem is, the filmmakers have a whole cargo van full of geopolitical and human-rights abuse bones to pick here. And so they’ve painted America as a decidedly evil force in the world. Because of that worldview, it’s rather difficult to “cheer” for anything that’s going on here.

Instead, we’re left with a brutal barrage of formulaic ducking, running, bloodletting and foul screaming amid whizzing bullets and explosions. Kandahar ’s action will probably keep you from falling asleep. But you may end up feeling a little grimy by the time the credits roll.

After spending more than two decades touring, directing, writing and producing for Christian theater and radio (most recently for Adventures in Odyssey, which he still contributes to), Bob joined the Plugged In staff to help us focus more heavily on video games. He is also one of our primary movie reviewers.

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Review: ‘Kandahar’ Starring Gerard Butler

For the second time this year, a film is hitting theaters focusing on the turmoil and chaos in the Middle East and an American and his interpreter fighting to escape Afghanistan. The first was Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant starring Jake Gyllenhaal. The second is the action drama Kandahar with Gerard Butler .

Kandahar centers around Tom Harris, an undercover CIA operative portrayed by Butler, who manages to uncover a clandestine nuclear facility in Iran and dismantle it. Although his mission is nearly flawless, a whistleblower at the Pentagon leaks the operation to a British journalist (Elnaaz Norouzi). Consequently, the journalist is apprehended by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard and subjected to interrogation.

Harris’s handler, Roman ( Travis Fimmel ), alerts his agent that his cover has been exposed. He instructs Harris to travel 400 miles to a former CIA facility in Kandahar, where he will be safely extracted from the country. Harris informs his confused translator, Muhammad (Navid Negahban), “Our cover is blown…we leave in 15 minutes.” He proceeds to destroy any incriminating evidence, including his laptop and operation-related documents.

As the unlikely pair trek across the perilous and seemingly endless desert, they are pursued by multiple groups, including Afghan forces, the Taliban, and Kahil (Ali Fazal), a Pakistani ISIS-K agent tasked with capturing Harris so they can sell him to the highest bidder.

Director Ric Roman Waugh reunites with his Angel Has Fallen and Greenland star Gerard Butler for Kandahar , a suspenseful, gritty thriller with exciting action scenes and solid performances by its two leading men. Butler is perfectly cast as Harris, a lifelong spy who can’t imagine himself doing anything else and is exceptional at his job. Butler also brings a relatable human element to Harris with the backstory of his loving daughter whose childhood he missed and a failed marriage that couldn’t survive his career.

Navid Negahban is terrific as Muhammed, Harris’s translator who becomes tied to Harris in a race to get out of what once was his country and get to the US to reunite with his family. Negahban has solid chemistry with Butler, and the few quiet scenes between the two men, as they either hide or catch their breath, give the film its heart. They must trust each other and work together if they are to have any chance of making it to the CIA airbase.

Ali Fazal delivers a standout performance as Kahil, the Pakistani agent on the hunt for Harris and Muhammed. Fazal portrays Kahil as a deliberate, crafty, and stylish foe who also happens to have impressive motorcycle riding skills in the desolate desert.

Mitchell LaFortune, a former military intelligence officer, has created a screenplay that exudes authenticity and realism. The backstory of the main characters is well-developed, allowing the audience to empathize and support them. The action scenes are thrilling and well-choreographed. One particularly impressive and exhilarating scene involves a nighttime helicopter and truck chase that utilized night vision goggles and featured breathtaking stunts and camera work.

Kandahar is a gripping chase film that boasts impressive performances, stirring action scenes, and smart screenplay. The R-rated action film keeps you on the edge of your seat and is worth checking out for fans of the genre.

MPAA Rating: R for violence and language

Running Time: 2 hours

Release Date: May 26, 2023

Studio: Open Road Films

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Movie Review – Kandahar (2023)

July 17, 2023 by Robert Kojder

Kandahar , 2023.

Directed by Ric Roman Waugh. Starring Gerard Butler, Ali Fazal, Bahador Foladi, Olivia-Mai Barrett, Rebecca Calder, Navid Negahban, Travis Fimmel, Nina Toussaint-White, Tom Rhys Harries, Vassilis Koukalani, Hakeem Jomah, Ray Haratian, Farzad Bagheri, Fahim Fazli, Lee Comley, Corey Johnson, Najia Khaan, and Darius Radac.

A CIA operative and his translator flee from special forces in Afghanistan after exposing a covert mission.

Director Ric Roman Waugh’s Kandahar marks the second time in as many months that a film’s heart comes from a bond between an operative and his field translator (the other is Guy Ritchie’s the Covenant ). Unsurprisingly, considering that Kandahar comes from the filmmaker behind Angel Has Fallen and Greenland , once again collaborating with Gerard Butler in the lead role, this version is more action-oriented but not without a thoughtful if sometimes messy emotional buildup attempting to explore the different motives of its various characters, nationalities, and militias.

Gerard Butler plays undercover CIA operative Tom Harris, posing as a construction worker in Iran alongside his field partner Oliver Altman (Tom Rhys Harries), claiming they are doing work to boost Internet signals, but are looking to shut down the country’s nuclear weapons operations remotely. That mission turns out to be an explosive success, taking Tom to another job in Afghanistan that he doesn’t want to take but quickly reconsiders based on the amount of cash thrown at him by his superior (Travis Fimmel). Considering his daughter is about to graduate high school, it’s valuable money, although his family mainly wants him back in one piece for the special event.

Tom is eventually partnered up with Mo (Navid Negahban), a stateside translator returning to Afghanistan for the mission to grieve his dead son and search for the sister he left behind, which provides a strong emotional core to an otherwise familiar narrative (I’ve lost count of how many Gerard Butler movies I have seen, let alone action films, where the hook is as simple as hoping the hero gets back home to his family) inside something more complicated demanding of more complexity.

To the credit of Ric Roman Waugh and screenwriter Mitchell LaFortune, they are trying to populate this story with opposing perspectives and characters (including a motorcycle-riding Pakistani agent played by Ali Fazal ordered to deal with Tom), but much of it comes across as flat and undercooked, often through rushed scenes establishing the bare minimum of characters. This also becomes a bigger issue since roughly the first hour is character-driven, where the only one that stands out is Mo. There is a sense that these filmmakers want to understand and tell a complex story about American relations with these countries and factions, unable to communicate those things in a dramatically involving way that never rises above feeding with one of simply learning about characters rather than feeling their motives.

Kandahar fares better once Ric Roman Waugh shifts into his wheelhouse house, as the nature of Tom’s presence is exposed, meeting that the only option is a race to the particular extraction point. There are vehicular chases across deserts gorgeously captured by cinematographer (MacGregor), including a helicopter battle where the most useful equipment might be night vision goggles. As the film builds to its grand climax, it involves everything from mortars to rocket launchers to airstrikes, maximizing the mayhem.

Ric Roman Waugh certainly knows how to stage bombastic destruction, and it is admirable that he wants to tell a thoughtful story around that, but he also gets lost within too many characters and groups when the compelling dynamic between Tom and his translator Mo provides more than enough riveting drama capable of providing weight to the impending action throughout the back half of Kandahar .

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★

SEE ALSO: Exclusive Interview – Ric Roman Waugh on Kandahar and working with Gerard Butler

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check  here  for new reviews, follow my  Twitter  or  Letterboxd , or email me at [email protected]

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Kandahar movie review: Ali Fazal’s livewire performance isn’t enough to save Gerard Butler’s generic action film

Kandahar movie review: the new gerard butler vehicle is a mostly-dull slog that benefits greatly from a charismatic performance by ali fazal..

When The Russia House became one of the first Hollywood productions to be filmed inside the Soviet Union in 1989, it seemed like the winds of change were blowing across town. Nobody quite remembers it for anything else these days. And years from now, the equally unmemorable action film Kandahar will become a favourite subject at pub quizzes and trivia nights for similar reasons. Released on Prime Video after a brief theatrical run abroad, it’s the first major American production to be shot inside the formerly hermit Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

But even if you remember the facts around its production, you’d likely be stumped if anybody were to interrogate you about the details of the film’s plot. Heck, you could probably claim a medal if you’re able to recall the name of Gerard Butler’s character (he’s called Tom Harris, by the way).”

Tom is a freelance contractor for the CIA, who, in the opening minutes of the movie, successfully hacks into an Iranian nuclear facility, which the Americans raze from the face of the earth some hours later. The Iranians aren’t pleased about this surgical strike, and so, they deploy a scary-looking moustachioed man to round up all the suspects and show them no mercy. The first on the list is a British journalist, who’d obtained documents to prove that the Americans were behind the attack on the nuclear facility. But when those documents are leaked, Tom Harris — that’s Butler’s character, remember? — finds that his cover has been blown. The CIA quickly sets a plan into motion to get him out of there.

What unfolds is essentially a chase thriller, in which Tom must race across the war-torn region towards Kandahar, where he has been assured an extraction team will meet him. He is joined by a local translator named Mo (Navid Neghaban) and is tailed by a vape-smoking, Tinder-swiping, hip-hop-blasting ISI agent named Kahil (played by Ali Fazal). Fazal is the film’s standout performer, injecting a world-weariness to his flamboyant character, who seems like the sort of person who has spent so much time in the field, he has discovered that to survive, he must find ways to entertain himself.

Kandahar strays from the kind of movies that Butler usually stars in these days — loud, muscular, and dead-serious action films in which he invariably saves the day at the end. For one, there’s very little action in Kandahar, which might strike Butler’s die-hard fans as a bit odd. The first act has this strange espionage thriller vibe that feels at once convoluted and yet so uncomplicated. For instance, nobody bothers to explain how Tom is able to evade capture so easily in the film’s opening scenes — especially after he already attracted the suspicion of local cops — but important plot beats about the leak of the secret documents are hammered home in the loudest manner possible.

The chase itself is rather unexciting. And there’s a roughly 15-minute stretch that takes place in the dark, which director Ric Roman Waugh occasionally films in night vision. There’s also an attempt, after the movie has stopped pretending to be Body of Lies, to contrive situations through which Tom and Mo can bond. This section of the movie is eerily similar to Guy Ritchie’s recent war drama The Covenant — an infinitely more enjoyable movie that, at its core, was also an apologia for the War on Terror.

But Kandahar’s remorseful tone about US foreign policy is ironic, considering where, and under whose supervision the movie was made. Unlike Mulan, for which Disney was (rightly) criticised for sanctioning scenes to be shot in China’s Xinjiang province, nobody raised a stink about Kandahar being filmed in Saudi Arabia. The movie itself has the gall to portray Iran and Afghanistan — the two countries in which its story is predominantly set — as barbaric hellscapes where people are hanged on street corners and random citizens are publicly flogged by men in uniforms.

Waugh has proven himself a skilled action filmmaker in the past, and a couple of set-pieces in Kandahar — particularly a mid-movie car chase — are nicely staged. But Kandahar is essentially like something that Kabir Khan would make — by-the-numbers genre fare with delusions of grandeur. By attempting to inject heft to the drama, and by completely robbing the experience of all levity, the movie ends up short-changing itself.

Kandahar Director – Ric Roman Waugh Cast – Gerard Butler, Ali Fazal, David Neghaban, Travis Fimmel Rating – 2/5

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"Triumph over Taliban Terrors"

What You Need To Know:

KANDAHAR tells the story of Nafas, a female journalist, who fled the horrors of the Islamic fundamentalists of Afghanistan. As her family fled, her sister stepped on a mine, which blew her legs off. Her father stayed behind to take care of the sister, and the rest of the family sought refuge in Canada. Years later, Nafas receives a desperate letter from her sister, in Afghanistan, who has decided to commit suicide before the next eclipse. Nafas rushes back to her country to rescue her sister. Donning the burga, she finds herself interacting with both friend and foe, some who help and some who hinder her quest. In the process of experiencing the horrors of the Islamic regime first-hand, including imprisonment, her sacrificial love and hope remain strong.

This is a brilliant movie based on the real-life experience of the actress who plays Nafas. There is no foul language, merely a few appeals to God. There is no sex or violence, but there is the constant, intense threat of violence. KANDAHAR is worthwhile viewing for all those who need to understand the truth of Islam and so they can understand the liberating grace of Jesus Christ.

(BB, Fe, FR, L, V, M) Moral worldview with some feminism but not politically correct or anti-morality & very strong inference that Islam is wrong; several appeals to God & discussions of violence; no on screen violence but constant jeopardy, threats of violence, many scenes of people who have lost legs, even arms to mines & other forms of violence, & fear of violence; no sex, nudity, alcohol use, or smoking; and, bandits, liars, thieves, & cheats.

More Detail:

KANDAHAR tells the story of Nafas, a young female journalist, whose family fled the horrors of Afghanistan, which was first ruthlessly occupied by the Soviet Union and then liberated, only to be oppressed by the warring Islamic Afghans and their religious leaders. As her family was fleeing Afghanistan, her sister stepped on a mine, which blew her legs off. Her father stayed behind to take care of the sister. The rest of the family took refuge in Canada.

After many years, Nafas receives a desperate letter from her sister, in Afghanistan, who has decided to put an end to her life before the next eclipse. Nafas decides to rush back to her country to rescue her sister. The movie opens with Nafas dictating these circumstances into her tape recorder as a Red Cross helicopter flies her to the border of Iran. Red Cross tents soon appear in the desert, surrounded by men on crutches. The helicopter parachutes artificial limbs down on the men who run with their crutches to retrieve them.

The pilot arranges for a family to take Nafas to Kandahar. She agrees to pretend to be the husband’s fourth wife, and she must wear the veil (or burga). After many miles of riding in the back of a tiny three-wheeled car, the drivers stop and rob the family. Despondent, the husband decides to turn back to Iran.

Nafas then hires a young boy named Khak to take her further, but on the way, she gets deathly sick from the well water. When they go to a village doctor, Tabib Sahid, the doctor, tells her not to trust the boy, who would easily sell her to the authorities when they arrive in Kandahar. The doctor turns out to be a black American who is not really a doctor and who came to Afganistan to find God by fighting the Soviet troops. Nafas asks him if he found God, and he says no, but he is still looking. He hides his identity behind a fake beard.

The scene in Sahid’s office is incredible. He treats the women behind a screen with a small hole in it. By Islamic law, he cannot talk to Nafas so he speaks to the young child who acts as a go-between.

Nafas is concerned about giving up Khak because the eclipse is only two days away and she does not want her sister to commit suicide. Sahid decides to take her until they find someone else who can help. They arrive at the Red Cross tent hospital where all the legless men are waiting for artificial limbs. The men lie and cheat to get the limbs. The first scene of the parachuting limbs is now seen from the point of view of the handicapped running bravely on their crutches.

Nafas recruits the worst liar amongst the men seeking crutches to take her to Kandahar, and he decides that they should join a wedding party that is heading toward Kandahar. Islamic rebels detain the wedding party and imprison Nafas. Nafas dictates into her recorder that she has always escaped prison, “but now I am a captive in all of the prisons, but only for you my sister.”

Directed by Iranian filmmaker Moshen Makhmalbaf (A MOMENT OF INNOCENCE), KANDAHAR takes a close look at today’s Afghanistan, ravaged by the civil war with the Taliban. The acting, cinematography and sound editing enhance the message of the movie.

Niloufar Pazira is brilliant as Nafas. The movie was inspired by Pazira’s real-life experience. In 1989, Pazira fled her homeland of Afghanistan and later received a similar letter not from a sister, but from a long-time friend who wanted to end her life.

So many wonderful movies like this are being made outside of the United States that Hollywood should start to worry, except that Hollywood controls the screens in the United States and the United States is the major box office in the world. Thus, if a movie does not make it in the U.S., it will have a very difficult time making it anywhere else. There have been exceptions such as THE ADVENTURES OF MILO AND OTIS, which was a gigantic hit in Japan and the rest of the world before coming to the U.S., but these hits outside the American marketplace are few and far between.

It is interesting that there are so many moral, worthwhile and even redemptive movies such as this coming out of repressive countries. Looking around the Cannes Film Festival, the American distributors often look like visual brothels, while these small distributors from oppressive countries sing the virtues of morality and freedom. Perhaps, the entertainment industry should beg Congress to impose draconian content restrictions on their entertainment product so that they can recapture the moral high ground of opposing tyranny instead of pushing the envelope of licentiousness. In contrast to some of the sleaze issuing forth from the capitol of the movie industry, KANDAHAR is a great movie, which cries out against the former Islamic tyranny in Afghanistan, and which was in the competition for the Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

This is a powerful tale of trying to set the captives free. The oppression of the Taliban imprisoned everyone in Afganistan, and, because of the oppressive religious legalism, everyone is at war: women, children and families. Nafas has an expressed feminist agenda in trying to save her sister, but it is morally based. Furthermore, Nafas is willing to die for her sister. Thus, her quest not only highlights the oppression of Islam, but she also serves as a redemptive counterpoint to the self-serving and corrupt, legalistic, false religious system that enslaved her country.

This is a brilliant movie. There is no real foul language, merely a few appeals to God. There is no sex, and there is no on-screen violence, but there is the constant, intense threat of violence. KANDAHAR is worthwhile viewing for older children and up – all those who need to understand the truth of Islam and the Truth of the liberating grace of Jesus Christ.

As Nafas dictates to her sister on her tape recorder in the middle of the movie: “I gave my soul to this journey, traveled roads that I’ve never taken before, so that I can give you a reason to live. I passed through the desert of dry poppies and mine fields . . . and now I’ve brought you a thousand bright reasons to live.”

This is an incredible tale. May there be many more like it.

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Heavy rains set off flash floods, killing 33 people in Afghanistan

This is a locator map for Afghanistan with its capital, Kabul. (AP Photo)

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ISLAMABAD (AP) — Heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan has killed at least 33 people and injured 27 others in three days, a Taliban spokesman said Sunday.

Abdullah Janan Saiq, the Taliban’s spokesman for the State Ministry for Natural Disaster Management, said Sunday that flash floods hit the capital, Kabul, and several provinces.

He added more than 600 houses were either damaged or destroyed while around 200 livestock died.

The flooding also damaged around 800 hectares of agricultural land, and more than 85 kilometers (53 miles) of roads, Saiq said.

Western Farah, Herat, southern Zabul and Kandahar are among the provinces that suffered the most damage, he added.

The weather department forecast more rain in the coming days in most of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces.