Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Brutal
- propulsive
- foreboding
- tense
- action movie night
- military thriller marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film watchable and competently staged as a contemporary action thriller, while considering its geopolitical framing familiar and politically questionable.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Tom Harris and Mohammad Doud flee Afghanistan while Taliban, ISIS, Iranian forces, and other hostile groups create overlapping threats.
Harris's exposure of a CIA covert mission triggers an international pursuit and places Afghan allies in danger.
The escape plot centers on traversing Afghanistan under pursuit by special forces and competing armed factions.
The film is explicitly situated in the contemporary Afghan conflict environment following the United States withdrawal.
Films like Kandahar, and why
Lone Survivor
shared action-thriller framework, behind-enemy-lines survival, and contemporary military geopolitics
Green Zone
shared fugitive operative premise, escalating pursuit, and tense international action
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
shared war-zone setting, morally complicated interventionism, and grounded combat suspense
Movie Details
- Director
- Ric Roman Waugh
- Release Date
- 2023-05-25
- Runtime
- 119 min
- Rating
- 6.8 / 10 (1316)
Cast
- Gerard Butler
- Navid Negahban
- Travis Fimmel
- Ali Fazal
- Bahador Foladi
- Nina Toussaint-White
- Mark Arnold
- Corey Johnson
- Hakeem Jomah
- Tom Rhys Harries
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Kandahar about?
- A compromised CIA operative and his translator race across Afghanistan as rival armed factions turn a covert mission into a deadly manhunt.
- What is Kandahar like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Kandahar as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Kandahar violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Kandahar as brutal.
- What did critics think of Kandahar?
- Critics broadly found the film watchable and competently staged as a contemporary action thriller, while considering its geopolitical framing familiar and politically questionable.
- Which films are like Kandahar?
- Films with a similar feel include Lone Survivor, Green Zone, and 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi.
- How long is Kandahar?
- Kandahar runs 119 minutes.
- Where can I watch Kandahar?
- In United States, Kandahar streams on Hulu.
