“12 Strong” is set in the harrowing days following 9/11 when a U.S. Special Forces team, led by their new Captain, Mitch Nelson (Chris Hemsworth), is chosen to be the first U.S. troops sent into Afghanistan for an extremely dangerous mission. There, in the rugged mountains, they must convince Northern Alliance General Dostum (Navid Negahban) to join forces with them to fight their common adversary: the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. In addition to overcoming mutual distrust and a vast cultural divide, the Americans accustomed to state-of-the-art warfare must adopt the rudimentary tactics of the Afghan horse soldiers. But despite their uneasy bond, the new allies face overwhelming odds: outnumbered and outgunned by a ruthless enemy that does not take prisoners.
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Video Quality
The 4K UHD Blu-Ray of 12 Strong offers a strong presentation. This release only includes a 4K UHD Blu-Ray disc, and we have never seen the Blu-Ray release from 2018 for comparison. The HDR10 brings out the nuances of what is aesthetically not a film replete with color. This film adopts a desaturated palette that many filmmakers feel is appropriate for war zones. A few key moments pop with color, but this is far from a Technicolor spectacle. You do have to love the orange brilliance of the fiery explosions when the action comes to play. The black levels achieve a notable depth while the highlights are firmly defined with whites properly balanced with no instances of blooming to be found.
Elements taking place in the cover of darkness such as the men flying to their mission are crisply delineated. Even with the unyielding darkness, the image never succumbs to crush with outlines holding resolute. Some conditions put the transfer to the test in terms of banding, but this holds up well. Skin tones appear natural with a world of crisp detail apparent such as facial hair. On the battlefield, you can clearly divine textures within the debris and other such production design. The Blu-Ray is likely solid, but Warner Bros. has delivered a great 4K UHD release for fans.
Audio Quality
The film ports over the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track from the Blu-Ray release that brings this to life with some real force. Some may feel disappointed by the lack of a Dolby Atmos upgrade, but this track shows no weakness in practice. This is an action-packed war movie, and the low end delivers the goods with numerous explosions and gunshots. Directionality is never an issue and dialogue is not drowned out by the various competing sounds like bombastic special effects or the score from Lorne Balfe. All of the speakers are engaged in creating a complex world. This is a detailed, three-dimensional track that opens up the narrative with care. We did not experience any distortion or drop-outs during even the more kinetic sequences. Every element is in top form as they maintain excellent fidelity. This track is a powerhouse outing. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- The Making Of An Incomparable Mission: A 22-minute featurette in which members of the real-life team discuss their mission and its journey to the screen alongside the cast and creative team.
- Monumental Effort: A ten-minute look at Sculptor Douwe Blumberg and the monument he sculpted to commemorate the accomplishments of the soldiers.
- Original Theatrical Trailer: The two-and-a-half-minute trailer is provided here.
Final Thoughts
12 Strong is a straightforward telling of an unbelievable true story that falls more into the jingoistic lane that American Sniper is often unfairly labeled. There is no room in the story for anything but unwavering patriotism and idealism. This extends to how the American soldiers interact with the Afghani forces who are assisting them on their mission, which reeks of Hollywood polish. The performers are mostly good at what they are asked to do, but the script is so pedestrian that no one really makes an impression. We love seeing Chris Hemsworth, Michael Pena, and Michael Shannon, but they are more interesting in just about anything else. The action sequences are impressive in isolation, but the film does not develop or earn the emotions you want from the outing. Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has released a 4K UHD Blu-Ray with a strong A/V presentation and all of the legacy special features. You can watch and enjoy this well enough, but it will not stick with you for long.
12 Strong can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or various other online retailers.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
