Taglines: The mission was survival.
The Outpost Movie Storyline. During the Afghanistan war, several outposts were placed to control the Taliban movement and their supply chain. Camp Keating, situated in a valley surrounded by mountains, was one them. While being shot at by the Talibans was business as usual, they tried to gain respect from local village elders and have them help stop these skirmishes. One day, when 400 Talibans rallied for a surprise attack, it was up to them to leverage the poor defenses and lack of ammo and manpower they had, to ultimately survive and go back to their loved ones.
The Outpost is a 2020 American war film directed by Rod Lurie, based on the 2012 non-fiction book The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor by Jake Tapper, about the Battle of Kamdesh in the war in Afghanistan. It stars Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry Jones, Orlando Bloom, Jack Kesy, Cory Hardrict, Milo Gibson, Jacob Scipio, Will Attenborough, and Taylor John Smith.
The film was scheduled to premiere at the 2020 South by Southwest Film Festival, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released via Premium VOD and in selected theaters on July 3, 2020. The film received generally positive reviews from critics, with praise for the battle sequences and respectful depiction of the soldiers.
About the Story
During the war in Afghanistan, SSG Romesha and a new group of soldiers arrive at PRT Kamdesh, under the command of CPT Keating. SGT Scusa saves a dog from being shot, and the men fend off yet another Taliban attack. SSG Gallegos assaults PFC Yunger for firing too close to his head, while SGT Larson reprimands SPC Carter for arguing during the firefight.
Keating arranges a shura to offer local elders money for infrastructure projects in exchange for peace. A gunshot residue test proves that a local man took part in the previous day’s attack, but he and others lay down their arms. Keating offers to drive a large LMTV through the narrow mountain roads; while Romesha and Carter scout ahead, the vehicle falls off a cliff, killing Keating.
The new commanding officer, CPT Yllescas, sends out a patrol after another attack; Romesha details how he would mount an assault on the vulnerable outpost. SGT Kirk apprehends a local man paid by the elders to take pictures of the base, which leads Yllescas to withhold the money Keating promised them. The base’s Afghan interpreter, Mohammed, warns of an impending large-scale attack, but his fears are dismissed. Patrolling a bridge with Yunger, Yllescas is killed by a bomb; the traumatized Yunger is talked out of suicide by Romesha, and extracted out of the Outpost with Yllescas’ body.
CPT Broward takes charge of the base, which he reveals will soon be closed. An Afghan ID is found near the bridge, presumably belonging to the bomber, but Broward refuses to allow Romesha and the men to search the nearby villages. Romesha clashes with Broward over the captain’s strict adherence to the rules of engagement, and pressure from Afghan President Karzai postpones the closing of the base. Carter approaches 1LT Bundermann with the men’s concern about Broward’s leadership, but is rebuffed.
A nighttime attack reveals the insurgents now have mortars. The next day, elders arrive with the body of a girl they fraudulently claim was killed by the American counterattack; Broward agrees to compensate them, and shoots Scusa’s dog for biting an elder. As the troops blow off steam by waterboarding each other, Broward reveals he has been relieved of command and the base will officially close in October. Left in command, Bundermann orders the men not to send any communication about leaving the base, as the soldiers make calls to their loved ones.
On the morning of October 3, 2009, Mohammed alerts the base that the villagers are gone and hundreds of Taliban fighters have surrounded the outpost. A firefight erupts, sending the Afghan National Army forces fleeing, and PFC Thomson and Scusa are killed. Gallegos and several others are pinned down inside an armored vehicle, and Romesha is wounded trying to reach them.
Learning Kirk has been killed, Romesha eliminates a Taliban sniper. SGT Hardt, SPC Griffin, and PVT Faulkner try to reach Gallegos’ position, but their vehicle becomes stuck as they realize the Taliban have breached the perimeter. Griffin and Hardt are killed, and Romesha reaches the TOC and convinces Bundermann they should retake the base.
The Outpost (2020)
Directed by: Rod Lurie
Starring: Scott Eastwood, Caleb Landry, Orlando Bloom, Jack Kesy, Cory Hardrict, Celina Sinden, Milo Gibson, Jacob Scipio, Taylor John Smith, Jonathan Yunger, Alexander Arnold
Screenplay by: Paul Tamasy, Eric Johnson
Production Design by: P. Erik Carlson
Cinematography by: Lorenzo Senatore
Film Editing by: Michael J. Duthie
Costume Design by: Anna Gelinova
Set Decoration by: Orlin Grozdanov
Art Direction by: Ivan Ranghelov
Music by: Larry Groupé
MPAA Rating: None.
Distributed by: Screen Media Films
Release Date: July 3, 2020
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