There’s no shortage of heroism in the real-life inspired war drama The Outpost

The Outpost is the upcoming R-rated war drama based on the real-life story of the battle of Kamdesh starring Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, and Orlando Bloom. Based on the 2012 non-fiction book ‘The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor’ by American journalist Jake Tapper. It’s directed by Rob Lurie (Nothing But the Truth) with the screenplay by Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy, who both received an Oscar nod for their work on 2010’s The Fighter.

In the early morning of 3 October 2009, a force of approximately 300 Taliban fighters surrounded and attacked the remote American combat outpost Keating near the town of Kamdesh in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban forces swiftly breached the camp at multiple points and set fire to many of the buildings there, forcing the American and Latvian troops stationed there to fortify a smaller inner perimeter.

Once the initial assault was blunted, American forces worked to recapture the outpost with limited support for much of the day as air support arrived later that afternoon and reinforcements in the early evening. Two of the American soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest award in the US military, for their actions during the battle.

The official plot synopsis is as follows:

Based on true events, in this military thriller, a small unit of U.S. soldiers, alone at the remote Combat Outpost Keating, located deep in the valley of three mountains in Afghanistan, battles to defend against an overwhelming force of Taliban fighters in a coordinated attack. The Battle of Kamdesh, as it was known, was the bloodiest American engagement of the Afghan War in 2009 and Bravo Troop 3-61 CAV became one of the most decorated units of the 19-year conflict.

Did anyone else read that in a William Shatner voice? That’s one hell of a lot of unnecessary commas. Anyway, let’s take a look:

War dramas, particularly those based on real-life events, can often overdo the speeches about bravery, sacrifice, brotherhood, and the fight between good and evil (and just which is a discussion for another day) – and unfortunately The Outpost falls into that trap. That’s some pretty cringe-y dialogue, but I think the realistic and visceral action more than makes up for that, and if you’re a fan of war movies then this definitely won’t waste your time.

What do you think?

The Outpost is due for release via digital and on-demand on 3 July. It also stars Jack Kesy, Cory Hardrict, Milo Gibson, Jacob Scipio, Taylor John Smith, and Jonathan Yunger.

Last Updated: May 25, 2020