Zona hostil (2017) Reviews

• One of the best foreign films I've seen

  TheTopDawgCritic2017-07-27

  I have to admit, I had no idea going into this film it was a foreign production and subtitled. At first I was "oh no, I hate seeing subtitled films" and had partially given up 15 minutes in, but still gave it a chance. I'm glad I did! It really elevates the senses once the conflicts start. This 'based on true events' film was executed quite well. The directing was excellent, the cinematography and editing on point, the set locations amazing and the acting was very convincing. It was even interesting that the AS332 Superpuma helicopter used for the film is the same helicopter that actually crashed in Afghanistan. It would have been nice if it was dubbed in English so I wouldn't have to look down to read the subtitles and either miss the scenery or the action, but nevertheless, overall it was an intense film that I thoroughly enjoyed. A well deserved 9/10 from me

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• Excellent

  shaman-113732017-03-15

  This movie plays in the same league as Hawsack Ridge,Zero Dark Thirty, The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Michael Bay, o Lone survivor. With a mastery use of suspense and cinematic tempo, Spanish director Adolfo Martínez uses all elements of the story, based on real facts. 90 minutes that traps the audience, you do not get a pause, everything is in crescendo.. The narrative is rich and varied; from the military and the role of the doctor, to the enemies that surge from dark and the use of dust as an innovative cinematic element, not mere decorative. A film not to be missed.

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• A Spanish film

  cristobalcortes2018-08-17

  I read the other reviews and mostly agree with them, excepting in one thing. One guy (or girl) cannot understand why NATO did not rescue the crew and bounded (with a lot of firing power, I assume) and bombed the crashed helicopter. Other is claiming how bad is to be with the Spanish army, based on similar arguments. To both of you, beloved American friends: This is the way we Spaniards do things. We have NOT unlimited power on the ground, but rather very limited. And this was a UN mission: your losses are yours, and you come back to your base with them. This is what you haven't understood of this history. Only a couple of Tigers, one of them uncharged, to send. And the idea of recovering the crashed helicopter doesn't come from the officials; it is a field sergeant who brings it about. Why? - Because he knows for sure how much things cost and that he would have to come back with a missing unit for a long time ...

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• Interesting Foreign War Film

  Theo Robertson2017-07-25

  In Afghanistan a joint Spanish American patrol is ambushed. A rescue helicopter crashlands at the site. Back at base the commanding officer decides not to destroy the helicopter on the grounds that it could be used in a propaganda coup by the Taliban so tells the patrol commander to sit tight and set up a perimeter at the crash site where the grounded helicopter and patrol will all be evacuated the next day. As it turns out the Taliban are preparing to over run the perimeter and by morning there may be no one left alive to evacuate I had RESCUE UNDER FIRE down as some sort of feminist girly type of movie since we're quickly introduced to a couple of female characters. This isn't really how the film plays out. Instead we have a rather traditional type of tale similar in some ways to how LONE SURVIVOR played out with a small team of Western soldiers trapped by the Taliban or to make a further allusion a bunch of homesteaders surrounded by Injuns . You've no doubt seen all this before but what the film does do well is draw you in to the action and create tension. It also helps that being a Spanish film with a Spanish cast the faces were unknown to me so I could easily buy in to these being real people in a real conflict with Jacobo Dicenta totally convincing as Sgt Agullar Just in case you're wondering why NATO didn't just extract the troops , bomb the copter and have a press conference sinking any Taliban claims that it was shot down by the Taliban I wonder why they didn't do that either . Same I'm puzzled why NATO didn't have constant press conferences saying they're delivering medical aid to countless civilians while the Taliban were raping boys and throwing acid in the face of unveiled women .

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• Would be quite sad for those soldiers if truly based on true story

  yc9552017-09-17

  The movie is OK. Just the story is so f-d up - the big brass wanted to make themselves look good so they bet the whole troop plus some to risk their lives for much of nothing. I don't know if any Spaniards still want to join their force after watching this movie. Do they really worth so little in their bosses eyes? If not for all the lucky brakes the whole troop plus the second wave rescue choppers and the empty tiger choppers could all have been swallowed up by the Talis. The big brass watching on big screen TV in real time, with no back up plan of any kind. Just let the poor soldiers fend for themselves. What kind of crap is this? Did the colonels and generals got court marshaled afterwards? The whole thing started with two light wounded soldiers and ended with almost losing almost everybody involved. Gees, what a f- up? And this supposed to be a heroic story? I thought only the Spanish economy sucks...

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