User reviews

'Kajaki' is probably one of the most intense war movies you will ever watch. Having said this, note this is not a full-on war movie. Instead, this is dramatic events as a result of war.

The film is incredibly well made and realistic. Thus some of the scenes are almost unbearable to watch. 'Kajaki' is one of those rare films that are almost too well made to sit through thinking this is entertainment. It plays like a documentary - almost like a found footage tape, only its not found footage style. It is heart wrenching, cringe worthy, and also a sad reality. The acting was superb. The lack of CGI made it all that more realistic. The film also has no score. Most of the film is in absolute silence, which is highly effective and also very creative.

The dialogue features many codes and lingo I didn't understand. The dialogue was really strange, yet realistic, but very difficult to follow. Despite that, the film itself was easy enough to follow. The make-up is incredible! 'Kajaki' is a film you can't really describe to anyone - you have to experience it for yourself - maybe best viewed alone at least once. This certainly is a film I will remember for a very long time.

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I was 21 at 1973, only 4 month after my army service, mandatory of course, as is army service in Israel, i just finished 3 years of hard service, 4/5 of it under constant fire, i was at the Suez canal and the Egyptians were shooting at us non stop, we did not respond, ammo was in short supply, and we just tried to keep our posts. Then, on September, all the Arab countries surrounding Israel issued an attack, it was Yom Kippur, our holiest day of the year, most of the soldiers were at home, we were attacked from all sides, transportation arrived to soldier houses and took all to the war, me too. I met my tank crew at the south desert, we got the tank on the truck and headed to the fight zone, few kilometers from there we drove off the truck and headed south, to try and stop the Arab tanks, we fought the whole day, watching our tanks get hit by rpg rockets, and by the second day we were ordered to drive behind the Egyptians and try to block the second wave of Arabic tanks that was crossing the canal, on the way to the canal, we were hit by an rpg, the gunman died immediately, me and the 2 crew members managed to get out, i shot the guy with the rpg, but his friends on a jeep escaped and informed others about us, so, 100 kilometers from any Israeli army, in the desert, an area full of our own mines, intended to block a possible Arabic attack, there were us, me, the driver, and a seriously wounded loader. want to know what happened to us? watch the film, it is really our crew's story! we stayed there 7 days, no water, with thousands of mines around us, the heat was 50 plus Celsius, we were shot, buried by tanks, but we survived.

This movie once it gets going, it really gets crazy! I will say the first 30 or so minutes were VERY slow, and I was on the verge of being bored...but I'm very glad I stuck it out, because once it gets moving ...it never lets up.

The carnage is very realistic, and the reaction of the men feels very authentic as well.

It's very intense, and it shows the bravery of these men.

We all owe our respect to these men, far too often we forget that we didn't go into Iraq alone, right or wrong (reason for going) England, and a few others stuck by us and went to fight in a war that wasn't their war. We owe them our thanks.

This film is unlike any other as there is almost no, actually I don't think there is any firefights, but it's action packed in a way that isn't a popcorn flick.

I've never seen a movie capture what it is to be a soldier better. British, American or whatever. Watch this - it's history not a film.

There have been many films made about Afghanistan/Iraq over the last few years and they are all afforded a degree of Hollywood Licencing. The Hurt Locker being an excellent example, almost good but ruined by pandering to a less intelligent audience.

If I was asked to describe what being a soldier is I could only ever point to this film. There is nothing there that is overdone or underdone.

It just is what it is meant to be.

The other reviews are all correct, Kajaki is honest, illuminating, and brilliantly delivered. I only point out for the sake of other people deciding whether to watch this, it really is harrowing. If you don't have a specific interest in the realities of war, you might find yourself wishing you hadn't started it.

Does this story need to be told? Absolutely Do I wish I'd watched a comedy instead? Yes

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.

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This came with a fair bit of acclaim in the build up to its release . Upon its release it did very little. This shouldn't be seen as to a comment on its quality , more down to the fact that a lot of British films fail to attract a major distribution deal. There's possibly something else and that is by 2014 Afghanistan had become a forgotten . NATO had done its best to make a fractured failed state in to a secular democracy. It was a failure but a noble one. It was also a conflict that was often waged by the Taliban via roadside bombs and other booby traps. In other words it's not a conflict that'll lend itself to pitched "war porn" type battles by Hollywood studios. If nothing else any film featuring Afghanistan can't be any worse than the previous British effort THE PATROL from the year before

Thankfully KAJAKI does nail the mentality of the modern volunteer soldier. Conscription ended in Britain in 1960 and no one was happier than the British military themselves . If you have a military composed of people who want to be there you've got a better military machine and it's good to see the rest of NATO adopt a voluntary military. From the outset KAJAKI nails this point very accurately with Tug saying he left the army after being disappointed by the lack of action he saw in Iraq and re-enlisted when Britain extended its mission in Afghanistan. Civilians in general and the anti-war brigade in particular constantly forget that young men join the army to see some heavy duty adventure. Indeed one of the legacies of the Afghan conflict was the phenomena of "The grief whore" who'd line the streets of Wootan Bssset every time they'd hear bodies of military personal were repatriated

As it stands KAJAKI is a story of British courage. In some ways it's a stark , poignant metaphor for the NATO mission to Afghanistan . It shows the unbreakable bond between soldiers and a heroic courage most humans are unaware of. The downside is that "war is 99% boredom and 1% terror". There's a danger that if you're making a film based on fact then if you're embellishing a story then the truth becomes more and more diluted due to embellishment. I don't feel KAJAKI suffers from embellishment but at the same time there does seem to be something missing. I guess that's because I'm a civilian and death on the battlefield is something unknown to me ? At the end of the day the veterans are more qualified than me to comment on the conflict in Afghanistan and I'll look forward to reading their comments

Having served this film is often too painful to watch (the reason for my giving it a 9/10). It expresses the suffering and comradeship of warfare.

This isn't just a film it's an education for a society disassociated from war. For those critics war isn't glorious or romantic. It's dirty and boring, and yes, people screw up. If you're stuck in a minefield without all the Gucci kit it's a bayonet and you're belt buckle, and it's hot and tiring and you make mistakes. Soldiers (at least the Toms) don't speak received English (so maybe you might have to pay more attention to what is being said)and yes they swear, live with it!

There are plenty of wonderful war films where the (usually American) protagonists win the day with either a fashionable injury or glorious death; this isn't one of them. There is however humour and pathos in war and this expressed in loads. If everyone knew what war was really like nobody would want anything to do with one.

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.

It's hard to find the right words to describe this film. Gritty. Realistic. Sombre. Tense. All of them fit as a good description. The strength of this movie is that it seems to offer a very accurate portrayal of life in a war zone. The story is about a British unit who find themselves hopelessly stuck in a mine field in Afghanistan in 2006. Several are wounded (the wounds are graphically depicted) and they have no way of knowing where the rest of the mines are or how many there are Theyre stuck; they can't move. All they can do is wait for a helicopter evacuation that seems to take an eternity to arrive. The tension of the mine field is easily felt, and it's a superb contrast to the opening of the movie, that deals with a great deal of character development and seems t make the point that, for the most part, life in a war zone is pretty boring. There's really nothing much happening for this unit; there's really very little for them to do. That probably sums up an average day in many or most war zones. But the sudden shift into a crisis was startling and well presented. As the wounded soldiers lie on the ground, tended by an overwhelmed medic, we listen as they prepare to die - asking for final words to be passed on to their families and coming to terms with the end approaching.

Everything in this is very well portrayed. War is certainly not glorified in this. It's either dull or nauseatingly bloody. I've never been to war, but I've had the chance in my life to know a lot of veterans, and I think they'd probably agree with the way war is presented here. It's quite a well done account of a true story, although it's probably not for those who are squeamish about the sight of blood or severed limbs - of which there are many. (7/10)

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.

I can highly recommend this film to anyone who can handle the intensity of a gruesome war film. The film starts slow and is filled with typical tough guy war banter and then the intensity jumps dramatically as the film re-creates a real story for Afganistan where soldiers are trapped in a minefield. Gripping, intense, sad, fierce and powerful. It is not a political film, but will get you to think deeply about the wars of the middle East and how we fight them.

A very well made film that often feels like a documentary. Flawless filming and acting to make you feel there.

This film is NOT for everyone. This film is quite gruesome and captures the reality of land mines.

NOTE: The heavy British accents required us to turn on captions.

I wanted to score the film an 8.5, but upgraded to a 9 based on powerful filming, intensity, real-ness and solid acting.

This film shows the true courage they had to deal with what was a mess. They walked in to uknown russian minefied from a prevoius war. one moment of madness almost cost them all their lifes. This is classsed as collatral damage, but maybe they should not have been put in that situation.

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.

I think it's a good movie showing what's behind the scenes , Stories we aren't suppose to know about especially military stuff which is so classified , This movie is showing us how soldiers are risking their lives to get the job done , Beside it's based on a true story so that's a plus for me since I love movies based on true stories, but what I didn't like is that most of the movie they are focusing on one thing in the same area I don't want to spoil it but what I can say is there is a lot of disturbing scenes even if that what really happens but when converting any story into a movie it suppose to have that cinematic plot a way to keep audience thrilled not just copy past it like re-acting what's happening in the exact way ! This is the reason my rating is 6/10 otherwise it could be better and would deserve 7/10 :)

I was privileged to attend one of four UK regional charity premieres on Tuesday 25 November ahead of the UK general release at VUE Cinemas on Friday 28 November. Each premiere was located in or near the home town of one the soldiers portrayed in the film such that family and friends could attend, and where possible, the actual people portrayed on- screen too. Bristol is the home town of Stu Hale who was portrayed on- screen by Benjamin O'Mahony. Stu was present at the screening and answered questions with the cast and crew at the Q&A afterwards. A portion of all the ticket sales across the UK goes directly to charities supporting returning servicemen and servicewomen. This all speaks to the very special nature of this film. In his introduction before the screening, director Paul Katis described it as a modern war film. It is indeed, and it takes an honourably neutral view of the conflict. At its heart this is the true story of a group of extremely brave men facing a difficult situation.

The action takes place back in September 2006 in Afghanistan where a British army unit is responsible for the security at a key dam, which when fully commissioned, will provide hydroelectric power. Unbeknownst to them, the area is also home to a minefield left-over from the Soviet invasion in 1979/80. On a routine security patrol some of the unit find themselves trapped in the minefield when one of them is seriously injured after stepping upon a mine. Over the course of the film we get to learn more about the characters and see many examples of extraordinary bravery, all of which actually happened.

This is powerful storytelling and writer Tom Williams has crafted a screenplay which reflects the truth and helps the audience understand the complexities of the situation. It walks the difficult line between intense and life-threatening action vs. the humour which people can use as a coping mechanism in such situations. Director Paul Katis holds nothing back and the full horrors of war are on display here, including some graphic injuries. This is all done in a non-gratuitous way and is part of the brutal and uncomfortable honesty of the events.

I, along with the rest of the audience, sat on the edge of my seat and there are several moments of shocking surprise throughout this tense thriller. This is a film worth going to see in cinemas with an audience and at my screening several spontaneous rounds of applause broke out at key moments in the end credits. Highly recommended.

This film has a lot in common with Hurt Locker, except it is represented by a different nationality. This makes absolutely no difference in warfare. Wasted and ruined lives are tragic in all wars within all nationalities. This war was a complete waste; Afghanistan. No one learns from history. The Russians, who were far more brutal than the British and Americans, couldn't win in seven years there. How ignorant and arrogant of our country's political and military leaders to think we could succeed where the Russians failed. America is very good at ignoring history. We did exactly the same thing in Vietnam. I support these young men and their families, not the idiotic wars that our irresponsible government sends them into. A film that should be shown to congressmen and all chiefs of staff at the Pentagon before taking various military actions. Good acting and direction.

Incredibly tough and gritty film, the least glamorous war film I've ever seen, but the portrait of a group of men coping with the most horrendous suffering - because they're all in it together - is something that utterly transcends the banal clichés of the form (cliches that we glimpse in the early scenes, the familiar rookie arriving and having everything explained, the safe and cleanly photographed long distance fire fight), and raises it to an extra level. Their patience is almost Christlike; the 'Happy Birthday' scene is something totally unlike anything else I've ever seen in a British movie. (I can only compare it with some of the old Polish films about the Warsaw uprising - but this is funnier!) Brilliant, brave and grimly funny. I took my sixteen year old son - this should be compulsory viewing for kids of the video game generation, specially if they're thinking of any kind of uniformed career. A hundred times better than such recent fare as 'Lone Survivor' or 'Fury' - I can't recommend this enough.

The film starts off slowly, it is low budget with some unknown actors giving it a naturalistic setting, but it really drags you in and at times you really want to close your eyes as the bombs keep going off and you hear the men scream.

Kajaki is based on a true story, set in Afghanistan in 2006, a British army unit is providing security at a Hydro electric dam.

The area is looming with minefields not from the post 2001 invasion but from the Soviet invasion in 1979. Some of the soldiers go to checkout an illegal Taliban checkpoint and are trapped and injured after stepping on a mine.

The other soldiers need to go and rescue them but they need to avoid stepping into the mines, a rescue helicopter is called but they do not know that the vibrations of the blades could set off the mines and the chopper cannot land or winch the injured soldiers.

Over the course of the film, the injuries increase, even the injured soldiers get re-injured, we get to learn more about the characters and their bravery.

This is brutal uncomfortable viewing, there is some humour, some of it is bleak, one of the soldiers was in immense pain as the morphine did not work on him as he was allergic to it.

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.

I was expecting something different, and the film does well to keep you captivated considering the plot and budget.

I'm not sure how real this is, but looks about right for an unfortunate untrained bunch