Kajaki (2014) Reviews

• Epic, Real, Impeccable Masterpiece!

  jonlioncourt2016-03-07

  I like war films. Not because I like war, but since it happens I'd like to know more about it. This film isn't like "Platoon", "Hamburger Hill", "Saving Private Ryan" or any other such "Movies". This film isn't like a movie at all. It is so real that it sucks you into every moment as though you were actually there. After the character development, I was literally on the edge of my seat, with my elbows on my knees with my hands holding my cheeks. I saw it at home, so thankfully I was able to pause it to make a cocktail; I needed one because it was that serious. Other war films I have seen and liked; they seem like popcorn fodder compared to this one. I was so engrossed in the progression and actually became angry at war itself like I have never felt before. I wasn't aware it was a true story until the end credits and I cried then. I was emotional throughout the film, not even knowing this. It was so real that I talked not only to myself, but to the characters I was watching. Thankfully, there were no "shaky cameras" like "Inglorious Bastards", making it easy to concentrate on what was really going on. What was going on was disturbing and humbling at the same time. Every scene and every incidence was relevant. I don't even call this film a "movie", because it is better than that. I have never given 10/10 to any film and rarely write reviews, but this one is deserving of a 15/10 if that were possible. If you have any reservations about watching this film, cast them aside and view it. Every aspect of what a perfect film would be about is included in this one. It's not a family film or for those who faint easily. It is gripping, extremely graphic, truthful and simply a masterpiece of cinema. It is deserving of the Academy Award for "Best Picture", "Best Director", "Best Screenplay", "Best Actor", Best Supporting Actor", "Best Cinematography", "Best Editing", "Best Makeup", and of all the films I have ever seen, I put this one on the top of my list, and that isn't an easy feat. With my child love of the "Wizard Of Oz" and my insatiable lust for "Star Trek" and "Star Wars", this film has dethroned all of them. This is the best film I have ever seen in my life.

• You will cringe, laugh, cry and hold your breath in shocked disbelief and utter horror: one of the most intense and most touching war films I have ever seen

  gogoschka-12015-11-14

  There's only a handful of so called "war films" I consider to be films about the actual reality of war. HBO's mini-series 'Generation Kill' is probably the most realistic when it comes to the depiction of modern warfare - but 'Kajaki' (also known as 'Kilo Two Bravo') gives it a run for its money: this criminally under-seen masterpiece should be considered a modern classic. The production values are fantastic; the cinematography, the script and the direction are absolutely flawless - but you won't notice them. What you will notice is the outstanding ensemble of actors, portraying characters in a way you forget you're watching a movie. They will make you cringe, laugh, cry and hold your breath in shocked disbelief and utter horror. This film had me literally on the edge of my seat the entire time, but what really grabs you by the gut is not just the suspense and the horror; it's the relationships between these soldiers and how they look out for each other. How close men become when their lives depend on each other has probably rarely been depicted on screen with the intensity and no-bullshît, keep-it-real attitude as is the case here. And knowing that what you're seeing actually happened only adds to the experience (for this film IS an experience). Definitely not the kind of war film that you come across very often. Superb. 9 stars out of 10. Favorite films: http://www.IMDb.com/list/mkjOKvqlSBs/ Lesser-Known Masterpieces: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070242495/ Favorite Low-Budget and B-Movies: http://www.imdb.com/list/ls054808375/

• Kajaki Movie – 5 Stars: A Must See Experience

  eddie-chaloner2014-12-07

  Like most people with military experience I find conventional war films a bit irritating – Implausible plot lines and ridiculous dialogue along with inaccurate uniforms and weapons tend to detract from the overall impression. The recently released movie Kajaki – the true story is, in the exception to this trend, and an important contribution to the national mood of reflection on the Afghan conflict. Every aspect of the film is grittily authentic, right down to the banter between the blokes, the detail on the T shirts and the tattoos. The incident will be familiar to many – in 2006 a patrol from 3 Para stationed at the Kajaki dam wander inadvertently into a legacy minefield from the soviet era with the inevitable unpleasant consequences. What sets this film apart from the crowd is the complete lack of sanitised pastiche violence and a storyline that sticks as closely as possible to the known facts, having had access and co-operation from the surviving members of the patrol, if not from the MOD itself. The movie scrupulously avoids being drawn into discussions about the controversies of the Afghan campaign and the level of resources supplied to the deployed forces, preferring instead to focus completely on the individual soldiers and the events of the day. As a surgeon with extensive experience of landmine injuries, I was hugely impressed with the level of detail in the depiction and treatment of the injuries and the completely unsentimental depiction of the actions that day. Writing in the Sun, Jeremy Clarkson explained that even though he had taken an interest in the Afghan conflict and had been out to see soldiers on deployment, he had absolutely no idea what the reality of battle and injury entailed until he saw the film. I am certain that many civilians and even some serving servicemen will feel the same after seeing the Kajaki movie. Having been released at the same time as the annual ceremonies of remembrance and, co-incidentally, at the same time as the centenary of the First world war and the draw-down from Afghanistan, it is important to remind the UK population that war is not all about artistic installations at the Tower of London, beautiful though those may be. With the Army having the lowest headcount in over a century, the population it serves is more disconnected than ever from the military – Kajaki conveniently reminds everyone about the realities of conflict. Dan Jarvis MP, himself a former Parachute Regiment officer brought up this very point at Defence Questions in the House of Commons and secured an assurance from the Defence Secretary that he would see the film in person. It should be required viewing for a far wider audience.

• Visceral, harrowing, tender and funny

  andrew-2892014-11-30

  Loved this film. I saw it on its first weekend in Portsmouth and it was incredible. I didn't know the story - but the film is almost unbearably tense and I watched through fingers willing something else to happen but it didn't. I have never seen a film like this before - it really feels like a totally different way to view war - but horrifically realistic at the same time. Fantastic film and everyone should see it... I'm still thinking about the film two days later, and the blokes who were there and also just what it means to be a soldier today. Respect.

• This is the sort of film that makes grown men cry.

  jed-790282016-02-18

  I was recommended this by a fellow ex-serviceman as I'm usually pretty weary of this stuff. It is a little bit slow to start. (But then life in the Army can be like that.) Then it go's wrong spectacularly quickly. (Life in the Army can definitely be like that.) If you haven't served in the British forces you might not get this film, at one point I was sat quietly crying when a guy spat out a one liner that had me in creases. I won't go in to the old "them and us" bit, comparing British soldiers to American soldiers, suffice to say that these guys are very understated hero's. No hullabaloo, no histrionics just guts and above all a camaraderie that cannot be replicated anywhere else. But don't take my word for it, judge for yourself. Please.