Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

The Outpost Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman August 20, 2020

The Outpost may not have the star power behind the camera of a Kubrick, Stone, Spielberg, Scott, or Berg, but Director Rod Lurie (The Last Castle, Straw Dogs) channels the best filmmakers and the best the genre has to offer with a tight, compelling tale of one of the Afghanistan War's bloodiest battles. The film recounts the story of the Battle of Kamdesh, the Taliban siege of Combat Outpost Keating where eight American servicemen were killed and more than two dozen were wounded.

PRT Kamdesh is one of the most notoriously indefensible outposts in Afghanistan, said be called “Camp Custer” because it seemed likely everyone stationed inside was going to die. It's located in a valley surrounded by hopelessly steep mountainsides from which the American forces routinely receive incoming enemy small arms fire that is more of a nuisance than a real danger, particularly as the outpost's mortar emplacements easily take care of any insurgents. When the outpost's commanding officer, Captain Keating (Orlando Bloom), is killed in action, PRT Kamdesh is renamed for him. New officers come and go and appear to fail in leadership; Captain Yllescas (Milo Gibson) struggles to maintain the peace Keating made with the Afghan locales and Captain Broward (Kwame Patterson) cannot maintain base morale. No sooner than young Lieutenant Andrew Bunderman (Taylor John Smith) is temporarily put in charge, the long-rumored assault on the base begins. The film closely follows two soldiers who would receive the Medal of Honor in the battle: Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood) and Specialist Ty Michael Carter (Caleb Landry Jones).

The Outpost quickly sets the stage for the camp's borderline indefensible positioning and thereafter yields a steadily tense and dangerous atmosphere as it becomes apparent that a major assault is coming. The sense of dread is only amplified as the outpost loses a steady leader who is replaced by others who inspire a much lower degree of confidence amongst the men and seem only to put the base in more danger with their lack of understanding of the land, its inhabitants, and even the men under their command. The film broadly follows the build-up to the battle, establishing the base's vulnerabilities and defenses but also taking a little time to follow life on the base, offering the audience at least a brief perspective of its geography -- its position in-country as well as where and why various defenses have been located -- while also taking time to at least go through the formalities of building the characters but limiting it to fundamentals to offer a little added sense of camaraderie with one another and with the audience in order to make their ordeal, wounds, and deaths mean something more in the second half.

Still, the movie is a little thin on story but its feel for authenticity in the daily life on the base and in its exceptionally well crafted action sequences more than make up for any lack of meaningful narrative depth. While the first half builds the basic ebb and flow of life on the outpost, the major assault holds most of the film’s second half and it vividly portrays not only the stress and strain and violence of the siege but also the physical and emotional human toll. The battle is chaotic, and it can be a little difficult to keep track of who is where (a problem with many but the very best War films), but the sense of frenzied confusion and the relentlessness and ever-evolving battlefield keep it flowing freshly and dangerously. It's very well staged, authentic in feel and purpose, and viewers are drawn into the fight with the sort of tangible, vivid sense of danger and adrenaline that only the best War films find. Perhaps most importantly, the film ends with the survivors dealing with the lingering trauma in the aftermath, which includes a powerful emotional release from Caleb Landry Jones at film's end.

The Outpost Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Outpost's opening shot doesn't bode well for the remainder, showing an unsightly amount of dense, obvious banding across a nighttime sky, but rest assured that the presentation significantly improves thereafter. Screen Media's 1080p image, sourced from a digital shoot, yields a tremendous level of overall clarity. Character definition is excellent with the viewer able to distinguish even the finest examples of intimate skin texture, facial hair, and uniform details, including the nylon pouches, wear on high usage points on weapons, and various patches and insignia. Likewise, the camp proper shows excellent detail on the construction materials -- well worn woods -- as well as fabrics and some of the additional objects within the various structures. Afghan terrain is a high point, showcasing pebbly and sandy surfaces, trees, and towards film's end bombed and burned locations with exceptional accuracy. Colors are very good. Though earthy beiges and grays dominate terrain and uniforms, viewers will find very well resolved skin tones and bright blood which is seen in frequency, particularly during the assault in the film's second half. Black levels are fairly good though they could sometimes stand more depth. The aforementioned nylon mag pushes do show some minor aliasing at times and noise can grow fairly dense in lower light shots inside the barracks but these issues are few and far between and rarely stand in the way of what is otherwise an A-grade Blu-ray transfer.

The Outpost Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Outpost blasts onto Blu-ray with a prodigious DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The track is obviously defined by the various battle scenes, which include brief firefights in the film's first half and the extended assault in the second. The shorter battles offer excellent clarity and spacial awareness, with gunfire, screams, and other examples of battle din filtering through the stage with terrific feeling for placement and movement. But the track reaches near legendary status in the second half when the stage opens up to offer a ceaseless barrage of activity, including a seemingly endless assault of low end output that is tough, sturdy, dense, and powerful as explosions pepper the stage for a good 45 minutes or so. Gunfire offers quality depth too, obviously more so with heavier caliber machine guns but even the .223 M4 rounds offer solid punch with every shot, of which there must be thousands in the film. The feeling of immersive madness is relentless, and listeners will feel absolutely drawn into the battle and not just hear the sounds but experience the power. Even limited to five channels, the track proves expansive and completely enveloping. There's no gap in coverage as sounds traverse the stage with seamless flow. Discrete effects are also smartly positioned and convincing. Lesser ambient sounds are likewise perfectly integrated. Surrounds are engaged with frequency from the outset, including within the loud helicopter, the din inside the barracks, or natural exterior atmosphere. Finally, dialogue is clear, center focused and, critically, well prioritized even during pitch firefights and alongside barrages of explosions.

The Outpost Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The Outpost contains several extras, including a commentary track and featurettes. No DVD or digital copies are included. This release does not ship with a slipcover.

• Inside COP Keating: Behind the Scenes, Behind the Lines (1080p, 30:28): Jake Tapper, Executive Producer and author of the book on which the film is based, along with cast and crew and some of the real service members on which the film was based, share their thoughts on the film's perspective, the real history behind the siege, production details, shooting locales, actor prep and performances, character details and the survivors' lives since the siege, making the action scenes, and more.
• Audio Commentary: Director Rod Lurie speaks on the real life history behind the events depicted in the film, cast and characters, locations, the real soldiers who helped to make a more authentic film, film edits and alterations, action scene craftsmanship, and more. This is a good, evenly cadenced, well informed track.
• Deleted Scene Rehearsal (1080i, 2:14): Test footage for a scene that didn't make it into the film featuring Eastwood and Jones.
• Song Rehearsal "Everybody Cries" (1080i, 1:06): A brief acoustic performance of the song.
• Battle Scene Blocking (1080i, 1:09): Footage from battle scene rehearsals.

The Outpost Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Outpost doesn't muster up much critical story, but its ability to absolutely draw the audience into life and geography inside the base and bring the assault to life with vivid intensity more than make up for the lack of a more traditional narrative thread. It's a movie about an experience and a snapshot of the people involved, and that focus, as well as the craftsmanship throughout the film, is what pushes it to success. Screen Media's Blu-ray delivers excellent 1080p video, exceptional lossless audio, and a well-rounded collection of extra content. Highly recommended.