Never delves deep enough to examine the larger involvement of the U.S. and those ramifications, but "12 Strong" manages to infuse heart and character into this adrenaline-fueled war filmIt's all solid from a technical perspective. Where the film could have used more power is in its narrative momentum.Fuglsig's feature debut is ultimately less an action movie and more a procedural, one in which incremental gains and minimal casualties are as much as can be hoped for.The true story is served well enough -- to the point where you have a huge amount of respect for these men when you leave the theater.There's just as much to like here as there is to be frustrated with, the final product a mixed bag of good intentions, decent ideas and missed opportunities.Unfortunately the movie's central philosophical conflict, between the captain and an Afghan warlord, features dialogue like "Your mission will fail because you fear death."The Horse Soldiers' story is unconventional, and the film-produced by uber-slickster Jerry Bruckheimer-has been shaped along conventional war-movie lines."12 Strong" does its best to tell a story of heroism from a dark chapter in our history, but its reality is much more complicated.... the numbers don't add up; the movie lacks a discernible attitude toward those desperate days in America's history.More often than not, "12 Strong" feels like a sports movie, where all the stakes rest not on matters of honor and duty, but on a single field goal."12 Strong" lacks depth but fulfills its mission to entertain.12 Strong winds up being an almost-good film about some great American soldiers.Hemsworth, Shannon, and Pena create real, relatable and yet heroic characters, and seeing them ride into battle on horseback is genuinely moving and inspiring.It's a remarkable true tale of great heroism.It's occasionally good, but for the most part, 12 Strong simply does its job.Combat scenes seem more interested in the faces than the fracas, missions are undertaken with no apparent outcome, and great difficulties loom and then dissolve like mist.This is not a movie with time on its hands for character development or scrappy political discussions. What 12 Strong does deliver is a rousing tribute to soldiers whose contributions went unheralded for years.What makes "12 Strong" objectionable - and what will also make it appealing to some - is its attempt to induce a kind of amnesia in the audience ...A fairly straightforward and enjoyable movie about an extremely complicated and demoralizing war. Its goal is to focus on a small group of heroes, and it shows little interest in the bigger picture.As Nicolai Fuglsig doesn't allow any complicated thoughts about war, colonization, and mortality to hover around his characters, 12 Strong inevitably proceeds as a jaunty imperial adventure through the wilds of northern Afghanistan.