12 Strong

Imagine charging a Soviet-era T-72 tank on the back of a mountain pony while trying to paint a target for a B-52 bomber using a laser designator. It sounds like something a ten-year-old would dream up while smashing his GI Joes into his My Little Ponies, but the wildest thing about 12 Strong is that the core of this "Horse Soldier" story actually happened.

I watched this movie on a Tuesday night while eating a bowl of cereal that was roughly 40% milk and 60% regret, and I have to say, seeing Chris Hemsworth trade Mjolnir for a Winchester and a saddle really put my lack of productivity into perspective. In an era where we are constantly bombarded by CGI capes and multiverse-ending stakes, there’s something oddly refreshing about a mid-budget, meat-and-potatoes military procedural that smells of gunpowder and horse sweat.

The Impossible Cavalry

Released in early 2018, 12 Strong arrived during a curious transitional moment for the war genre. We were moving away from the "war is hell" cynicism of the mid-2000s and into a space that felt more like a throwback to the 1990s Jerry Bruckheimer era—polished, earnest, and unashamedly heroic. It’s no coincidence that Bruckheimer produced this; the film bears his fingerprints in every sun-drenched lens flare and slow-motion explosion.

The story follows the first Special Forces team (ODA 595) to enter Afghanistan after 9/11. Their mission: link up with General Rashid Dostum (played with fantastic gravity by Navid Negahban) and capture the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The catch? The terrain is so rugged that the only way to move through the mountains is on horseback. For a group of guys trained in the highest-tech warfare available in 2001, being told they’re going to be cavalrymen is a wonderful "Wait, what?" moment that the film leans into.

Thor on Horseback

The chemistry between the lead trio is what keeps the movie from drifting into generic recruitment video territory. Chris Hemsworth plays Captain Mitch Nelson, a man who has "never been in combat" but has plenty of tactical smarts. While Hemsworth is the face on the poster, the real soul of the movie belongs to Michael Shannon and Michael Peña. Shannon, as Chief Warrant Officer Hal Spencer, brings that signature intensity of his—the man could make a grocery list sound like a declaration of war. Meanwhile, Peña provides the necessary levity as Sam Diller. There’s a natural, lived-in feel to their banter that makes you believe these guys have spent a decade in cramped barracks together.

The movie occasionally feels like a very expensive recruitment ad for the most rugged travel agency on Earth, but the action choreography by director Nicolai Fuglsig is remarkably clear. In many contemporary action films, the editing is so frantic you can't tell who is shooting at whom. Here, Fuglsig uses the geography of the Afghan hills to create distinct "lanes" of action. You understand the spatial relationship between the horses, the tanks, and the incoming air strikes. The sight of Hemsworth galloping through a wall of fire while hip-firing a carbine is pure cinema popcorn.

The Legend of the Horse Soldiers

While 12 Strong wasn't a massive box office juggernaut, it has carved out a fascinating cult status within the "tactical-gear" community and among military history buffs. It’s a staple of "Dad-cinema," but it also holds a special place for those who obsess over the declassified details of early 2000s special operations.

Here’s some of the stuff you might have missed about the production:

The real Mitch Nelson (actual name Mark Nutsch) was a former rodeo rider, which is why he was so comfortable on a horse. Chris Hemsworth grew up riding in Australia, but Michael Shannon reportedly had almost zero horse experience and looked visibly terrified during some of the riding shots—which actually fits his character's "I'm getting too old for this" vibe perfectly. The film was shot in New Mexico, which, surprisingly, looks more like northern Afghanistan than northern Afghanistan does in some places. The production used the same rugged terrain where they filmed Lone Survivor. The 16-foot bronze "America’s Response Monument" that sits at Ground Zero today? That’s dedicated to these guys. The cast actually got to meet the real members of ODA 595, and Navid Negahban spent significant time talking to the real General Dostum to get his mannerisms right. To keep things authentic, the actors went through a three-week "Special Forces boot camp" where they learned everything from room clearing to—you guessed it—basic horsemanship. The original declassified story was so unbelievable that the screenplay actually had to tone down* some of the more miraculous moments to make them feel plausible to a movie-going audience.

At its heart, 12 Strong is a competence porn movie. It’s about people who are very good at a very difficult, very dangerous job. It doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel, and it doesn't offer a deeply nuanced critique of the geopolitical fallout of the last twenty years. Instead, it focuses on a specific, incredible footnote in history where the highest tech met the oldest tech. It’s a solid, well-acted, and visually impressive war flick that earns its place on the shelf next to Black Hawk Down. It's the kind of movie that makes you want to buy a pair of tactical boots and a horse, even if you live in a one-bedroom apartment in the suburbs.