Iconic indie filmmaker Jim Jarmusch has two projects which he is about to start work on.

The first is a feature film starring Tilda Swinton, who is making her third appearance in a row after featuring in ‘Broken Flowers’ and ‘The Limits of Control’. Jarmusch has also said it will star Michael Fassbender and ‘Alice In Wonderland’ star Mia Wasikowska.

The second is a documentary on garage rock icon, Iggy Pop. Iggy has worked with Jarmusch before in ‘Coffee and Cigarettes’ and ‘Dead Man’. He is also a chosen act for New York festival ‘All Tomorrow Parties’ which is currently being curated by Jarmusch.

I’m a big Jarmusch fan, so expect more news on any Jarmusch projects in the future.

Review:

The war in Afghanistan is certainly not uncharted territory in cinema. American efforts Green Zone, The Hurt Locker and Jarhead each tackle the political conceptions and misconceptions that war brings. This British effort however, falls slightly short of the mark…

Kandahar Break begins when Richard Lee (Dooley) arrives in Southern Afghanistan to assist Steve Delamore (Andrews) and the Taliban with the disposal of mines. It’s a big contract as Steve makes clear, but a chaotic one at the hands of the corrupt Taliban government. Lee is aware of this, but he is not represented as some sort of British enemy. Instead he appears sympathetic and considerate to both parties.

As the plot, well, softens Lee re-connects with Jamilah, a girl working as their interpreter. Unfortunately for the audience the connection between the two is underdeveloped, and this is made clearer after her death. His flashbacks scream cliché, starting with them meeting and ending with her brushing through low lying trees ‘a-la-lenor advert’ style. This is not political, it is a love story.

Lee must flea. He turns to his friend, Steve for help but his offer is undermined by greed with him choosing the job over his friend. It is a sub-plot that appears to have little relevance, when it perhaps should. Blissfully un-aware of Steve’s betrayal, Lee finds an escape route with the help of a small patch of Afgan rebels fronted by ‘football fan’ Omar Baloch (Hameed Sheikh).

Flaws aside, Kandahar is wonderfully shot. Real beauty is extracted from the baron Afgan landscape and Cinematographer, Russell Nabb does well to capture this. The acting is not too bad either, Dooley puts in a good performance and is able to hold the audience despite being fed some poor dialogue.

Conclusion

Aside from the films fantastic cinematography and some of decent acting, Kandahar Break is weak. A Sluggish plot and frail polemic undertones restrict the film from seriously engaging the audience.

DVD information

Release Date: Selected cinemas 10th September, all other platforms 13th September 2010

Run Time: 94 minutes

Certificate: 15

DVD/Blu-Ray RRP: £14.99/£15.99

Pre-order now from Amazon: DVD or  Blu-Ray

DVD Extras:

• Behind-the-scenes footage

• Commentary with directorDavid Whitney and actors Shaun Dooley and Dean

Andrews

• Interviews with David

Whitney, Shaun Dooley

and Dean Andrews

• Original trailer

• Stills Gallery

Official Trailer:

Director: David Whitney (Click on names for interview)

Staring: Shaun Dooley - Salvage, Eden Lake, Red Riding and Dean Andrews - Ashes to Ashes, Life on Mars

Overview: Kandahar Break follows a  team of British mine clearance engineers, including Richard Lee (Shaun Dooley – Salvage, Eden Lake) and Steve Delamore (Dean Andrews – Ashes to Ashes), who work for the Taliban government in Southern Afghanistan. One of the team, Richard Lee, falls for their beautiful Afghan interpreter and finds himself at the mercy foul of corrupt local police chief, Ashiq Khan, who instigates a manhunt to find and kill the infidel. Alone, Richard must escape on foot across the border into nearby Pakistan, through hostile terrain, but during his journey he is ambushed by a force of rebel guerrillas, enemies of the government, who agree to help him flee the vengeful Taliban. (Revolver Entertainment)

Release Date: Selected cinemas 10th September, all other platforms 13th September 2010

Certificate: 15

Official site: www.kandaharbreak.com

Review coming in new few days…