U.S. horse soldiers clash with Taliban and Afghan culture

They’re strangers in a strange land: American Green Berets infiltrated into Afghanistan a few weeks after 9/11 to strike back at the Taliban in retaliation for the attack on the twin towers.

Their mission is dramatized in “12 Strong.” It’s a remarkable true tale of great heroism. It’s also an account of a clash of cultures.

The detachment of 12 highly trained Special Forces soldiers, led by an Army captain played by Chris Hemsworth, join forces with anti-Taliban tribal irregulars under the command of warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, played by Navid Negahban.

Dostum is an ally of uncertain loyalty whom the Americans view with deep misgivings, fearing he could sell them out to the Taliban. Their suspicions are well-founded, as he’s a man notorious for often switching sides during Afghanistan’s seemingly endless cycle of wars.

Based on author Doug Stanton’s 2009 bestseller “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of U.S. Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan,” “12 Strong” shows the Green Berets riding into battle on horseback.

The speed with which the mission is mounted as the United States seeks to go on the offensive as quickly as possible after 9/11 means it’s largely ad hoc. The 12, isolated in the remote north of Afghanistan, a land of smoke and dust, are expected to improvise and adapt to the conditions on the ground.

The country’s mountainous terrain and the men’s distance from U.S. military support mean they must go to war on horseback, with the horses provided by Dostum.

The story is a natural fit for prolific uberproducer Jerry Bruckheimer, whose previous movies include “Black Hawk Down,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Top Gun.”

Under the direction of Danish filmmaker Nicolai Fuglsig, making his feature debut, the battle scenes of horsemen charging Taliban armored units are explosively choreographed.

The movie emphasizes the extraordinary bravery of the Berets, getting first-rate performances from Hemsworth, Michael Shannon and particularly Iranian-born Negahban, best-known for his portrayal as an al-Qaida leader on TV’s “Homeland.”

Along with the heroics, “12 Strong” also acknowledges that while the mission is successful, the long-term prospects for anything resembling a U.S. victory in what is now America’s longest war are bleak.

“You will not win here,” Dostum tells Hemsworth’s character at one point. And later says, “You will be cowards if you leave. You will be enemies if you stay.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 7:00 PM with the headline "U.S. horse soldiers clash with Taliban and Afghan culture."