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As an audience, we deserve better! exclaims Mayur Sanap.
There's something inherently silly about Gerard Butler 2.0.
The actor, who was once a poster boy for swoony rom-coms, is now busy trying to reinvent himself with cheesy actioners that he produces and acts in.
His brand of action films is the turn-your-brains-off kind where viewers are entertained by relentless action steered by our hero, who supersedes the most dangerous situations.
Kandahar is yet another dull entry in his action filmography, one that even action lovers would find ludicrous.
Set against the backdrop of the Middle East, the film follows CIA operative Tom Harris (Butler) whose identity is compromised while he is on a mission in Herat, Afghanistan. With Tom is his Afghan American interpreter Mo (Navid Negahban). Tom and Mo must reach the extraction point in Kandahar before they are hunted down.
Director Ric Roman Waugh's previous outings with Butler Angel Has Fallen (2019) and Greenland (2020) at least had a little sense of fun going on for them. Kandahar doesn't fulfill this bare minimum expectation as it veers off into boring territory.
There are shootings, stabbing, explosions, high-speed chases, but none of this makes for exhilarating viewing. The first half is a slog to sit through and when the action finally kicks in, it is just not exciting or consistent.
Gerard Butler looks like he is sleepwalking through the role.
Our very own Ali Fazal plays the main baddie Kahil Nasir, a Pakistani agent with Taliban connections who is tasked to nab Butler's Tom. Fazal is given decent screen time and looks charismatic, but his character is jarringly one note to leave any real impression.
In the end, you breathe a sigh of relief. Not for the hero, but for yourself, because the film is finally over.
As an audience, we deserve better.
Kandahar streams on Amazon Prime Video.
