Finally, a British answer to The Hurt Locker , in this Raindance-winning drama about a troubled tour of Helmand Province.
Writer/director Tom Petch is ex-army and the film feels authentic in action – or, rather, inaction , as disgruntled grunts question their kit, their tactics and the entire Afghanistan war amid endless waiting.
As a combat pic, it’s refreshingly sober and politically engaged, a broadsheet among tabloids, although the narrative is short on dramatic firepower.
Still, it’s a solid debut, with Petch’s evocative location filming (in Morocco) and pyrotechnic flourishes belying his low budget.
