It is easy to forget that the war in Afghanistan is a global mess.
For that reason, Hyena Road is a refreshing look at the war because it tells the story from the perspective of the Canadian military, which leaves out the much of the American sentiments that most Hollywood productions portray.
Hyena Road is the most recent film to tackle the ever-complicated military tangle in the Middle East. The film itself takes place in Kandahar, Afghanistan, at one of the largest bases in the country. Following a series of soldiers in the Canadian military, including a senior officer, on the hunt for an elusive elder in an Afghan village who may or may not be an ally, a sniper finds himself caught in a dilemma about following orders or following the moral high ground among others.
Comparisons to The Hurt Locker, Zero Dark Thirty, and American Sniper are inevitable in its empathetic, near-journalistic focus on those fighting the war rather than the fights that make up a war. Most of the performances reflect this time, diluting the rough and rugged war movie stereotypes for a set of sincere, though rather bland, characters. The veteran intelligence officer is almost too good of a guy to be in a war movie, lacking a hard-nosed bravado that seems almost necessary for the situation. Perhaps even more pedestrian is a half-cooked romantic subplot that is awkwardly stretched through the film.
While there may be a bit too much humility in the characters, the directorial approach to the subject matter is rewarded by it. The lack of heroic proclamations about soldiers overseas is refreshing, especially the choice to often focus on civilian Afghans as allies, not outsiders. This choice is especially applaudable in a time when many American war films have disappointed in their one-dimensional portrayal of local Middle Eastern civilians. Thus, the intentions of Hyena Road are quite admirable and worthy.
Also of note are some of the action sequences. Especially compelling is the opening scene, which sees the snipers deciphering numerous roadblocks – both literal and metaphorical – in the uneasy silence of the Afghan hills. The majority though are shot with the energy of shaky cam’s post-Bourne heyday. The scenes can be messy, but also visceral. In fact, this brings an interesting parallel would be Paul Greengrass’ Green Zone – a movie that strived to be a thinking man’s version of a “Call of Duty” film. While Hyena Road is a much more complicated character piece, unfortunately, it cannot rise above the uneven narrative that throws the film’s urgency off just enough to lose momentum all too often.
Hyena Road is now playing in theaters and VOD.
