Kandahar ★★

Ric Roman Waugh

Starring Gerard Butler, Navid Negahban, Travis Fimmel, Ali Fazal, Bahador Foladi

The time of the action hero seems to be something of history, with only a couple of staples surviving and still fighting something larger than life. One of those heroes is Gerard Butler, and here it's Gerry vs. sand explosions in Kandahar.

Fresh from their last collaboration in the brilliantly subtle disaster movie Greenland, the expectations couldn't be higher for Butler and director Ric Roman Waugh. Here, Gerry plays undercover CIA agent Tom Harris, who after having his mission exposed, must fight his way out of hostile territory in Afghanistan.

This fails to build in suspense and excitement in the same way Greenland did, very quick to show off an aerial view explosion over a character's visceral reaction. There's a lack of flair to make this stand out amongst a crowded pool of army-action films.

The story is fine but familiar, and even Sir Gerry doesn't seem as invested as he has in previously high-stakes action movies.

An unoriginal take on the turmoil in Afghanistan, Kandahar will fall into the abyss on Amazon Prime, and unfortunately lacks any nuance to stop it from becoming forgotten.

Kandahar available now on Amazon Prime Video