This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the movie being covered here wouldn’t exist.

Tom Harris (Gerard Butler), an undercover CIA operative, is stuck deep in hostile territory in Afghanistan. After his mission is exposed, he must fight his way out to an extraction point in Kandahar, all while protecting his Afghan translator, avoiding elite enemy forces and relentless foreign spies tasked with hunting them down.

For in-depth thoughts on Kandahar, please see my colleague Lane Mills’ review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Kandahar comes to Blu-Ray with a gorgeous 1080p transfer courtesy of Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. While this release looks great, it feels like a missed opportunity not to have this one on 4K UHD Blu-Ray. The film leans toward the warmer side of the spectrum to suit this area of the world. The color palette is natural throughout most of the film, but there is very little offering splashes of color outside of the generally tan environment and outfits.

Black levels hold up well with no obvious instances of black crush present outside of a nominal amount in the very darkest scenes. Digital noise and artifacting are not an issue with this release. The amount of clarity and detail present on this Blu-Ray never fails to impress. Subtle details on faces are strikingly clear and fine texture such as facial hair holds up well both in close-ups and long shots. This is a top notch presentation for a very visually polished film. The only disappointing element is the fact that this is a film that would have looked dynamic on 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Audio Quality

The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track is extremely engaging, and it never fails to deliver a knockout experience. The soundscape on display here is replete with nuanced sonic elements from the dangerous journey. This film is pretty pulse-pounding with kinetic moments punctuating the narrative and shaking off the cobwebs. The numerous instances of gunfire in the film hit hard in a manner that you will not soon forget. The finale is especially chaotic and massive in this respect as bullets whizz by and bombs rain down. This does make you wish this was an Atmos track, and you could have had fun with the addition of height channels.

The score fills the room without being too overbearing to the competing elements. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear with none of the information getting muddled among competing effects. All of the sound elements have an impeccable sense of direction within the mix with noises such as artillery really standing out. The movie implements environmental sounds to great effect, and the track retains strong detail even in the more disorienting developments. The track is a powerful effort throughout the entire runtime. There are optional English SDH and Spanish subtitles provided.

Special Features

There are no special features included on this disc.

Final Thoughts

Kandahar feels like a lesser version of Guy Ritchie’s The Covenant, which itself had its own drawbacks keeping it from being an essential action film. Gerard Butler commits to this one 100% as usual, but there is not enough going on with the script to leave you with anything of value. The relationship between his character and his translator does not develop in a manner that is emotionally satisfying, leaving you to not really care what happens to any of the characters. There are some decent action sequences, but without the emotional connection there is little that makes any sort of lasting impression. Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray with a great A/V presentation but nothing in the way of special features. This is mostly recommended if you are a fan of war films or the talent involved.

Kandahar is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures 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.