The movie “12 Strong” directed by Nicolai Fuglsig is based on a true story of the ongoing war between the Taliban and our American troops after the attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11.

“12 Strong” focuses primarily on the first Special Forces team that invaded Afghanistan with the help of an Afghan warlord, General Dostum, to take down the Taliban once and for all.

One of the main concerns in the plot was that the Special Forces team’s captain, played by Chris Hemsworth, had never been in a war before, especially not against one of the most powerful terrorist groups in the Middle East.

Chris Hemsworth brought an intensity to his role that helped depict how serious and tense the mission was. The casting of the other members of the crew contained Michael Shannon and Michael Pena which complimented Hemsworth’s character very well.

Along with the strong cast, the realness of the scenery and costumes were spot on. Due to the film being an action-packed movie, scenes full of combat, death, and tension were the primary shots.

Not once throughout the movie was there a scene that seemed unrealistic or under displayed. Most of the scenes were based in a dessert due to the terrain of the Middle East.

Costumes are a big factor in the production of making a successful and realistic movie. Dan Lester was the costume designer for the film, he designed over 500 outfits for the actors to wear. More importantly, he emphasized the separation between the Taliban and other armies in Afghanistan through their wardrobe. Lester made sure to put the Taliban in all black cloth while the other armies fighting were clothed in more colorful outfits.

Not only were the men fighting costumed well, but also the women of Afghanistan. Due to the culture there, the women of the town were dressed in Firaq partūg, the name for the acceptable outfits women in most of the middle east wear. They wore an encompassing burqa over this outfit to fully portray the “dress code” in this part of the world.

With war comes death, the accuracy of how brutal the Taliban treats “their people” was shocking. The movie was all about American troops fighting this awful terrorist group all throughout different cities in Afghanistan to eventually get rid of their head leader, Mullah Razzan.

Since “12 Strong” was based on a true story, there was a special type of emotion that was tied to the movie. A feeling of pride, anger, and sadness for not only our country that was attacked, but also for the innocent people of Afghanistan that were killed and tortured for simply living their lives.

There is no secret that “12 Strong” fully and admirably exposed the real story of what happened after 9/11. It showed the audience that America, as a nation, will not be walked over and will always do what needs to be done to protect our great nation.