Review of Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016) by Charley G — 04 Jun 2016

An attempt to enter the controversial subject of the war in Afghanistan. For those who know little if anything about that, and there must be a great many of us, this is worth seeing. It starts off as an action piece, with urbanite Fey landing in the deep end as an embedded reporter with the marines.

The film argues that Afghanistan has been forgotten, and there should be more support for the troops. There are insights about the situation of women and children and the Afghans generally, scenes of lively Kabul nightlife, and the drama of the battles.

You are shown the difficulties in getting the story onto western screens, where sensation is king, and which in turn leads to more military funding. The script is dotted with humour, the cast is attractive, there is a spectacular Afghan wedding, and you get some pumped party scenes.

The production values seem true enough (the film was not shot in Afghanistan). Its theme is that a skilled, smart, fit and healthy person was sitting around wasting her time, before she worked in the war zone.

The disadvantage is that the film's purpose wanes, with diminishing information about the war, and some meandering through personal and love issues for Fey's character. Late in the piece, a dialogue with a wounded marine tries to rebalance the story.

This film ranges into difficult territory, but its bite could have sunk deeper and hung on more.