Operation Kabul
It’s hard not to forget the chaos as the American forces left Afghanistan in 2021. The deadline for leaving had been negotiated by President Trump, and President Biden was left to enforce it. The people trying to get on airplanes at the last minute is an image that is haunting, and was one, final mistake in the two decade conflict that began after 9/11. “Operation Kabul” looks at days after American forces left, as battalions of Hungarian forces are tasked with bringing more refugees out of Kabul, and it’s a gripping military thriller that looks at the importance of humanitarian efforts, and the risks inherent with them.
There are two narratives that cross into one another during Zsombor Dyga’s film. The main one is that of the soldiers who are tasked with evacuating a certain number of refugees from Afghanistan at the airport, which is surrounded by Taliban and Afghani army forces. The unit is led by Second Lieutenant
Kerekes Bálint (Gábor Jászberényi), and we watch as he navigates the bureaucracy surrounding the mission along with his own sense of morality. They also have in tow a doctor, Takács Eszter (Blanka Mészáros), who is having to go in and help whomever she can while just outside the airport. Their stories are connected, as are their fates.
The screenplay by Áron Horváth is very much dealing with archetypes in how it develops these characters. There are emotional beats, like an interpreter trying to make sure his wife will be safe to go with them when done, and a young girl the doctor has to take care of, who is scared to be separated from her father, but the film is weighted more in action and suspense than emotion. Dyga’s set pieces are strong, and he understands what the most important ideas the film should be focused on. He also understands how to build tension, and the doctor is not just someone whom is waiting for the soldiers to rescue her, especially as the Taliban raids the hospital she is working in. This is rooted in action, but it also speaks to the impossible choices that are made in war, especially when there’s a deadline on when one has to evacuate. The film doesn’t really get bogged down in the politics of the evacuation that resulted in these events, just showing the heroism of the people caught in the crossfire. That is more than enough.
