Movies like ‘12 Strong’ and ‘The 15:17 to Paris’ exemplify military valor without considering the cost of war.
By Amos Barshad MAR—19—2018 10:00AM EST
This January, an American war movie starring the Australian dreamboat Chris Hemsworth opened in theaters nationwide. 12 Strong: The Declassified True Story Of The Horse Soldiers told the tale of Task Force Dagger, an advance combat unit operational in the early days of the War in Afghanistan, partially on horseback. It was a rousing product with crisp action and a delightfully triumphant conclusion and, as advertised, lots of cool horse stuff. It was also, in the context of the current day state of affairs, an insane thing to release. A few scenes before the end credits, Hemsworth reverently buries a piece of scrap metal from the Twin Towers in the Afghan dirt. A little bit after that, two of the horse soldiers have a very peaceful conversation about how, whatever happens next here, in this land far from home, it’s out of their hands. And at no point does a title card appear pointing out that, 18 years after the events depicted, US combat forces in Afghanistan are still stuck in a bloody and hopeless morass.
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https://theoutline.com/post/3794/hollywood-propaganda-12-strong-phil-strub?zd=1&zi=3uaywd5p
