'Kajaki: The True Story (a.k.a Kilo Two Bravo)': Review

Set up almost as a classic British war film and featuring a cast of unknown actors, Kajaki: The True Story (released in the US as Kilo Two Bravo) is set in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province in 2006 when a group of soldiers became trapped in a minefield. At times authentically terrifying, and, at others, overly graphic, Kajaki appears on British screens in the midst of a strong wave of public sentiment for the country’s armed forces on the centenary of the outbreak of the First World War.

Katis makes the most of his budget; locations are impressive and the lack of a surging score demonstrates a confidence in the shock and awe of the story of the real-life heroes who inspired this film.

Kajaki is a grueling watch for a civilian, though, and an ordeal for current or former serviceman to relive such agonies. It is an effective reminder of the youth, determination and heroism of the armed forces; a grisly modern-day coda to the upcoming Testament Of Youth. International prospects would seem modest for this all-male affair - while initially Kajaki has the tense air of a thriller, the external threat fails to materialise and it becomes a personal story of survival, very British in tone.

First-time director Paul Katis, working with screenwriter Tom Williams (Chalet Girl), sets Kajaki up in the blistering location heat (Jordan subbed for Afghanistan) with an air of pared-down authenticity as the soldiers of 3 Para patrol the strategic Kajaki Dam. Danger constantly surrounds these ordinary servicemen: from the elements, the restless, unpredictable Afghanis, and, ultimately, the acres of minefields abandoned by the Russians in their retreat.

Kajaki: The True Story is a stumbling tale of heroism under duress, updating classic war stories like The Dam Busters with the modern-day reality of multiple amputations and subsequent survival – where the enemy could spring from a road block, a suicide bomber, “friendly fire”, or the routine patrol of a ravine where mines have been discarded from another bloody war.

Katis finds his strength in depicting the uneasy calm of routine life and sweltering boredom for the British Army’s 3^rd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment (3 Para) at the Kajaki Dam. His strength can also his weakness, however: opting for a cast of untried young actors using regional accents, Katis ends up with segments of unclear, slightly rambling dialogue and some perplexing line-readings. As the beleaguered medic, the more experienced Mark Stanley (Game Of Thrones) is a standout, backed by David Elliot as 3 Para’s charismatic leader.

The film eventually gathers strength when a routine patrol sets out on a recon and stumbles into an un-marked minefield, left behind by the Russians in the 1980s.  The tension ratchets as the film becomes more and more graphic – with stark scenes of amputations, singed flesh, and screaming panic as the soldiers find themselves trapped in the valley with nowhere to turn.

Katis makes the most of his budget; locations are impressive and the lack of a surging score demonstrates a confidence in the shock and awe of the story of the real-life heroes who inspired this film.