Cast: Diane Kruger, Djimon Hounsou, Benoit Magimel, Denis Menochet, Raphael Personnaz
Direction: Stephane Rybojad
Genre: Action
Duration: 1 hour 49 minutes

Story: Elsa, a french journalist, is kidnapped by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Enter the special forces….

Movie Review: If it’s the special forces we are talking about, guns and grenades, state-of-the-art technology and out-of-the-box strategies is what we are primarily on the lookout for. Sadly, here our men in uniforms are seen falling, faltering and giving up as well. No wonder, the special force comprising six super officers on a mission to get kidnapped Elsa safely back to her land end up being killed. Not to say they never try at all. At least the first half sees our men in action. For the rest, over to the story….

Action and the struggle-to-survive (all seen before stuff) aside, there are moments in the movie that do deserve a special mention: the performances by every single cast that holds your attention till the very end; the state of the nation, the diplomatic statement and reactions, the panic in news agencies when a (war) correspondent is abducted; the camerawork that captures the tribal areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan in its extreme form beautifully; the not-so-happening practices being followed in some not-so-fortunate parts of the world — women being sold to the Talibans; a Muslim woman throwing off her veil just to smile (her idea of who-gives-a-damn) before her public execution; children as young as seven forcibly taken away by the Taliban so that they can return to do the same.

Agreed this was never meant to be a Daniel Pearl and Johanne Sutton real life drama come alive on screen, but what really makes Special Forces a little different is the very opening line of the movie that gives us ample food for thought — The only way to change the world is to change the story.