Modern movies set in the war in the Middle East rarely do well at box-office (like STOP-LOSS or even Paul Greengrass's GREEN ZONE), but they're also rarely bad movies. And with the war farther than ever from memory (there are kids in high school now who weren't born when 9/11 happened), it might be time to start exploring the situation now that the wounds aren't so fresh.
Which brings us to the upcoming movie HORSE SOLDIERS, starring Michael Shannon and Chris Hemsworth. It's a war drama set in the mountains of Afghanistan right after 9/11, and follows a U.S. Special Forces team and its rugged captain on a dangerous mission. No word on who would play the captatin, but judging by age alone, it seems like it would be Shannon (unless the part is still yet to be cast).
Now I think this could be a good film, and one to look out for. While I'm not as convinced of Chris Hemsworth as a dramatic actor (his best moments in THOR were comedic, and he killed it in the GHOSTBUSTERS reboot; however, I've been lukewarm on any of his dramatic output like BLACKHAT), Michael Shannon is the shit, and I'll give anything he's in a shot. It could be a movie where it's about how nice of a guy Hitler was, but if Shannon was playing Hitler I'd at least give it a watch. I also am interested to see what a movie set in the war in the Middle East in the early '00s will look like with more than fifteen years in hindsight.
No release date set for the film, but Chris Hemsworth can next be seen in THOR: RAGNAROK on November, 3rd 2016 and Michael Shannon in NOCTURNAL ANIMALS coming out a couple weeks later on November 23rd, 2016.