Introduction

A CIA operative and his translator flee from special forces in Afghanistan after exposing a covert mission.

Kandahar is a 2023 American action film directed by Ric Roman Waugh and written by Mitchell LaFortune.

The film stars Gerard Butler (who is also a producer) and features a supporting cast that includes Ali Fazal, Navid Negahban, Bahador Foladi, Nina Toussaint-White, Tom Rhys Harries, Vassilis Koukalani, Mark Arnold, Corey Johnson, and Travis Fimmel.

The film was released in theatres on 26 May 2023 by Open Road Films. It received mixed reviews from critics. Also known as Mission Kandahar (Canada) and Burn Run (original script title, US).

Outline

Tom Harris is a freelance undercover operative working under contract to the CIA to insert malware into an Iranian nuclear research facility. Tom’s cover is a field technician for a Swiss communications contractor.

His mission is successful, and the malware causes the facility to self destruct.

At the same time, the Iranian government has been monitoring a British journalist in Iran. She receives evidence from a whistle blower of the CIA’s ongoing sabotage of Iran’s nuclear programs. After the facility is destroyed, she is arrested by an Iranian security agency. She tells the Iranians she suspects a link between the facility’s destruction and the Swiss contractor, because its contracts tend to be next to sensitive government sites.

Tom leaves Iran en route to London via Dubai. While in Dubai, his flight to London is delayed. During his extended layover he is texted by and visits his CIA handler, Roman Chalmers. Roman claims to have delayed the flight to force this meeting. Tom accepts Roman’s lucrative CIA contract for a job in Herat, Afghanistan, because it will pay enough to cover his daughter’s university expenses.

After he arrives in Herat, due to an intelligence leak, the global news media names Tom as the operative responsible for the destruction of the nuclear facility. With his cover now blown, the mission in Herat is aborted. Roman directs Tom, and his Afghan-American translator (Mohammad “Mo” Doud) to an extraction point in Kandahar.

The Iranian and Pakistani security services learn Tom is in Herat, and each send operatives to apprehend him, with Pakistan wanting to ransom Tom to the highest bidder.

Tom and Mo are chased by the Iranians and a Pakistani agent (Kahil Nassir who has powerful members of the governing Taliban in his pay) in Herat. They elude Kahil and the Iranian pursuers and escape to the desert.

En route to Kandahar, the CIA tracks Tom’s progress via satellite or high altitude drones.

Tom and Mo are attacked by an Iranian helicopter. Tom destroys the helicopter and kills its crew.

Now on foot, Tom and Mo seek aid from Tom’s friend who is an Afghan warlord not in league with the governing Taliban.

Mo reveals to Tom and the warlord that the warlord killed Mo’s son years ago. Despite angering the warlord, he provides Tom and Mo with a vehicle and they depart the warlord’s camp.

Meanwhile, Roman stops communicating with the CIA and instead arrives in Afghanistan to join an ISIS K unit.

Tom and Mo are captured by a Taliban warlord who is in the pay of Kahil. Tom concludes his warlord friend sold him out.

Roman and his ISIS K fighters attack the compound where Tom and Mo are held captive. The Taliban warlord is killed. Roman, Tom, and Mo escape by vehicle from the compound while the battle continues.

Kahil arrives at the scene of the battle. He realises the attackers are Afghan Special Forces Commandos in the pay of the CIA, posing as ISIS K. Kahil organises another Taliban unit to intercept Tom.

As Tom, Roman, and Mo reach the extraction point, Kahil attacks their vehicle. Roman is mortally wounded, and jumps from the vehicle to buy Tom and Mo time. Before dying, Roman severely wounds Kahil and recites the Shahada.

The CIA has been continuing to observe Tom’s progress. After Kahil’s Taliban team intercepts Tom and Mo, it is apparent Tom and Mo will finally be captured.

However, the CIA’s director of the malware and Herat missions orders an unauthorised missile strike on the remaining Taliban pursuers. This enables Tom and Mo to escape on a British military cargo plane.

Kahil apparently survives. The body of the leader of the apprehension team is returned to his Iranian widow. The British journalist is released. Tom is reunited with his daughter. Mo is reunited with his wife and son.

Production

In June 2016, former military intelligence officer Mitchell LaFortune sold his spec script Burn Run to Thunder Road Films. He based it on his experiences working for the Defence Intelligence Agency and being deployed to Afghanistan in 2013 during the Snowden leaks. In June 2020, it was announced Gerard Butler would produce and star in the film, which had been retitled Kandahar, reteaming with Angel Has Fallen and Greenland director Ric Roman Waugh.

Ali Fazal and Navid Negahban joined the cast in December 2021. Majority of filming commenced on 02 December 2021 in Saudi Arabia. This made the film the first big-budget US feature to shoot in the country’s Al-Ula and Jeddah. Nina Toussaint-White and Bahador Foladi joined the cast later that same month. Filming wrapped in January 2022.

Release

In September 2022, Open Road Films acquired the film’s US distribution rights in an eight-figure deal. In January 2023, it was announced that the film would be released in theatres on 26 May 2023.

Box Office

As of 22 June 2023, Kandahar grossed $4.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $6.7 million worldwide.

In the United States and Canada, Kandahar released alongside The Little Mermaid, The Machine, About My Father, and You Hurt My Feelings. The film made $921,000 from 2,105 theatres on its first day, $2.3 million in its 3-day opening weekend, and $2.8 million during the 4-day Memorial Day weekend.

Cast

• Gerard Butler as Tom Harris
• Ali Fazal as Kahil Nasir A Pakistani ISI
• Navid Negahban as Mohammad “Mo” Doud
• Bahador Foladi as Farzad Asadi
• Nina Toussaint-White as Luna Cujai
• Vassilis Koukalani as Bashar
• Mark Arnold as Mark Lowe
• Tom Rhys Harries as Oliver Altman
• Corey Johnson as Chris Hoyt
• Travis Fimmel as Roman Chalmers[5]
• Ravi Aujla as Siraj Agha
• Ray Haratian as Ismail Rabbani
• Olivia-Mai Barrett as Ida Harris
• Rebecca Calder as Corrine Harris
• Faizan Munawar Varya as Ahmed Nasiri

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s):
  • Ric Roman Waugh
• Producer(s):
  • Zeinab Abusalamh … co-executive producer: MBC
  • Sam Barnett … executive producer
  • Brendon Boyea … producer
  • Gerard Butler … producer
  • Joseph Newton Cohen … executive producer (as Joseph N. Cohen)
  • Billy Dietrich … executive producer
  • Andrea Dimity … executive producer
  • Will Flynn … executive producer
  • Jonathan Fuhrman … executive producer
  • Anthony Hall … co-executive producer: MBC
  • David Haring … executive producer
  • Basil Iwanyk … producer
  • Ali Jaafar … producer
  • Abdullah Jamjoom … co-executive producer: MBC
  • Daniel Kaslow … associate producer
  • Ruzanna Kegeyan … executive producer
  • Harrison Kordestani … executive producer
  • Mitchell LaFortune … associate producer
  • Scott LaStaiti … producer
  • Erica Lee … producer
  • James Masciello … executive producer
  • Christian Mercuri … producer
  • Tom Ortenberg … executive producer
  • Danielle Robinson … executive producer
  • Jamal Sannan … executive producer
  • Matthew Sidari … executive producer
  • Alan Siegel … producer
  • Peter Smith … executive producer
  • Stuart Sutherland … co-producer
  • Roman Viaris-de-Lesegno … executive producer (as Roman Viaris)
• Writer(s):
  • Mitchell LaFortune
• Music:
  • David Buckley
• Cinematography:
  • MacGregor
• Editor(s):
  • Colby Parker Jr.
• Production:
  • Thunder Road Pictures
  • G-BASE
  • Capstone Studios
  • MBC Studios
• Distributor(s):
  • DeAPlaneta (Spain, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Diamond Films (Argentina, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Diamond Films (Brazil, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (Netherlands, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Forum Hungary (Hungary, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Global Film (Russia, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Impuls Pictures (Italy, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Kinomania (Ukraine, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Leone Film Group (Italy, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Leonine Distribution (Germany, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Metropolitan Filmexport (France, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Movie Cloud (Taiwan, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Nordisk Film (Finland, 2023)(theatrical)
  • Open Road Films (United States, 2023)(theatrical)
  • The Film Group (Greece, 2023)(theatrical)
  • The Klockworx (Japan, 2023)(theatrical)
  • VVS Films (Canada, 2023)
• Release Date: 25 May 2023.
• Running time: 120 minutes.
• Rating: R.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.

Video Link(s)