Warhorse One (2023) User Reviews

When the youngest one ''makes'' the movie....

[bladerider-35765 · 6/10 · 7 July 2023]

I truly can't say that the movie is a great one... It's a budget movie, and that shows.

The filming locations (although stunning) aren't really convincing of (how I picture) Afghanistan's nature.

Not always very convincing special effects...

But I've got to hand it to Johnny Strong (Mirko), he was not only co-writer/co-director/co-main character, but he also was Head of Post Production, Editor and Color, Original score & music, Head of sound design, Lead VFX Design, Makeup and special effects makeup, Camera operator, Stunt Coordinator, Props, Head of Lighting, Miniatures and Miniature SFX all designed, build, and filmed by Johnny Strong.

So he had a lot of tasks to do in this movie, and I don't know if that's always a good thing, but he gets some kudos for that!

The main reason it got a 6 from me is: ''Zoe'' aka Athena Durner.

She acted in a very convincing way, she put down a great character!

She did a great job in making the film a lot more watchable!

I think a new star is born here!!

I have seen much worse and much better films.

[The_Real_Review · 5/10 · 10 July 2023]

Some poor production decisions and pacing made what could have been a really good movie drag down to a disappointing level. The third in a line of Afghan rescue films this one has a simpler and better story than the convoluted Kandahar, with a much smaller budget but does not compare to the superior Guy Richie's The Covenant.

To start with the movie drags for no reason what so ever and is at least 30 minutes too long. The slow pacing was set in the very first scene with drawn out drone cinematography shots and prolonged, unnecessary radio discussions. I suspect the director wanted to try and give the movie a dramatic mood but instead just made it seem like they were waiting around half the time and not really in a rush to escape from the enemy. So you don't get any build up or sense of urgency. Films like this need a quick pace that accelerates to the finale. This movie would start to get some momentum and then they would drag out the literally repetitive fire fights to a point where they made little sense.

The interactions between the lead and the five year old girl were excellent but you never felt they were escaping from the enemy and instead on some stroll through the woods. The lead did not even pick her up to carry her until half way through the movie which makes it unbelievable that the enemy did not catch up to them before this while walking at the speed of a five year old.

The military aspect of the film was better than I expected in a few parts and completely laughable in others. 1. The lead is not going to survive a 50 foot fall out of a helicopter without broken bones. 2. For a Special Forces Operator he was wasting a ton of ammunition for no reason and taking a lot of shots at rocks. 3. He appeared to constantly be doing weapon malfunction drills though I believe they were trying to show that he was clearing a jam. I am sure this was intended to make it seem more "realistic" but properly maintained HK416s or custom Noveske AR-15 platforms are highly unlikely to have all these failures. 4. He loaded magazines and racked the charging handle instead of more quickly using the bolt release. 5. He always seemed to have the same amount of magazines on him no matter how many rounds he shot. I do not understand why films cannot get this right and have one person simply keep track of this number so the reloads and remaining ammunition in these situations seem realistic. 6. He had no magnified optic and instead only a close range holographic sight. A magnified optic combo would have been more realistic and given him a significant advantage over the enemy and made a better film. Instead he only had a slightly more accurate weapon with a quicker ability to acquire a target over his enemy. 7. I will give him credit for not only picking up an enemy's weapon but also a spare magazine something no one ever does in most other films though it would have been better if he picked up more than one. 8. The lead appeared to use very little in the way of tactical sense and only managed one tactical surprise the entire film. 9. This film includes the worst filmed scene of a sniper "aiming" I have ever seen. 10. Special Forces Operators attacking an enemy with cover in a tree line, from open ground by walking slowly towards them, standing straight up and yelling each other to stay in a line is something a child dreams up.

The special effects were obvious CGI, not the worst I have seen but a few shots were really bad (him falling out of the helicopter, and in one firefight they had the AK muzzle flash about 2 feet away from the barrel). I just hate fake weapon effects and you immediately notice them here but they are workable for much of the film.

The worst part however was the use of what appeared to be the same rock outcroppings for three or four scenes where they were supposed to have traveled miles in between. I swear they shot around these same rock formations but simply changed the camera angles. It ruined the entire film's immersion. How hard is it to find an outdoor area, map out a path a few miles long and just walk or drive at least a couple hundred yards along this path between shots?

I actually found the sound effects and musical choices to be solid for what this was going for and one of the better aspects of the film.

Overall I am disappointed by too much of the film. It honestly had great potential to tell a simple story in a gripping action oriented way with good character development and quick pacing, instead it only hinted at this throughout. The lead could definitely play this role as well as the young girl they simply needed a better director and producer. It is what it is and all I can say is I have seen much worse and much better films.

well, not so much

[braunbart · 6/10 · 7 July 2023]

I actually did like Mr. Strong´s most well-known movies, Daylights End and Sinner&Saints, but this one is too long, takes itself too seriously and suffers from mediocre acting of all parties. The landscape does not look right, some weapon effects look lousy, yet it is somewhat of a gun-gear-show. Which is cool, they did that a lot in the 80s and people now consider those flicks to be cult. The soundtrack is really nice and fitting. The girl being saved sometimes talks and looks like the Alia character from Lynch´s Dune movie. Maybe that is related to shock story-wise, ok I get it. Many scenes are too slow, seem edited with haste. It is a mediocre genre-movie, but I recommend instead watching a show like Terminal List if you are low on time.

The way he wasted his bullets could only happen in Movies

[MovieIQTest · 7 July 2023]

In Vietnam the American military establishment consumed an estimated 50,000 rounds of ammunition for every enemy killed.

Back in the days before soldiers sprayed bullets about the field of battle promiscuously (i.e. The Civil War) it took about 60 rounds to "take out" one enemy soldier. The amount of ammunition used in WW2 resulted in 25,000 rounds per casualty. Usually, you go on a combat patrol with around 210 rounds; If you get into a firefight, your ammunition can deplete very quickly.

Yet what we saw in this movie, the frogman, call-sign Warhorse Once wasted his bullets to kill enemies like he had endless supplies of bullets from his logistic arsenal. He usually kept shooting with a salvo of 3 or 4 or even 5 bullets that resulted killing nobody, but when he shot just once, there's a kill. A veteran soldier, alone in the wildness, chased by swarm of enemies should and would never waste his bullets like what we saw in this moronic unrealistic firefights, but he just wasted his bullets so mindlessly generous. It's just made me shake my head non-stop sneering.

Another crap

[rehmankhilji · 1/10 · 7 July 2023]

I dont know, why as to why such movies are made. Firstly, i can understand back in the day of Rambo very few would have seen Afghanistan and it would be difficult back then matching the movie sets with the actual landscape. But now there are thousands of movies and documentaries available and the director could have use them in order make something sensible.

More then 5 minutes of starting titles, with that deep music and trying to create some drama, well these five minutes of one scene, unnecessarily prolonged will given you a fair idea, how bad the movie is and how bad it will be to watch it.

Next scene, solider waking up in California Forest which they are trying to show as Afghanistan.

I Enjoyed It

[catospatha · 7/10 · 9 July 2023]

I enjoyed Warhorse One. Is it Lone Survivor? No it's an independent film made by Johnny Strong. The child actress was very endearing. I believe it's her first role. She does a great job if you consider her age and the fact she's running around the woods with Johnny. His last shootout with the bad guys was done very well I thought. I had memories of Rambo when he was in Afghanistan. The weapons handling and cinematography was done well. Again it's not a big budget film so you can find things to criticize if you want. Geez how many big budget films are complete garbage?? I respect what he's doing and the message he's putting out. Give it a chance.

Knock off Mashup of Lone Survivor and Mandalorian

[chpribb · 2/10 · 6 July 2023]

The movie gets started right away with a SEAL who is the lone survivor of a helicopter crash being chased by a large group of Taliban (who by the way look super fake and have the absolute worst dialogue). Yet the SEAL is able to gun down quite a few and escape them without a scratch. Marcus Luttrell would be impressed! Then he comes to the rescue of a little girl who is the lone survivor of a family that the SEALs had set out to rescue before they were shot down. The performance from the girl is dull at best. I eventually stopped watching this movie because of how poorly written/filmed/directed this was. The scenery was beautiful though! Looked nothing like Afghanistan, more like Montana or Wyoming.

As usual, don't listen to the bad reviews

[brianhenneman-88147 · 8/10 · 8 November 2023]

This movie is well worth your time. There's always people out there who believe they're the next Siskel and Ebert who believe they have some great insight on cinematography or lighting or plot development. Don't listen to them. This is a fine movie, well done with plenty of action. Does the terrain look like the Colorado Rockies? Sure. Does the Taliban look like an office fantasy football league dressed in blankets? You betcha. But suspend disbelief for two hours and enjoy a low budget indie war movie. Remember, its not a documentary and never claims to be. Just enhance your calm and enjoy this film.

Stop Whining

[rjwilliams-22439 · 7/10 · 4 January 2024]

I am going to whine a little bit about the idiots that complain it was filmed in Colorado, what you wanted it filmed in Afghanistan. The main star did everything in this movie but run the food truck. If you gave this a one/ten what will you give Megalodon., the Frenzy. Also low budget but without the acting, any special effects. I also think Warhorse One was entertaining, not an academy award winner by any means, The typical good guy that at least misses his target occasionally and the bad guys that can't hit anything. I don't watch a movie to complain if he shoots to many bullets from one magazine or if the soundtrack is not the best. All I can say about people like that, is I have more important things to be critical of.

Cringeworthy

[andydavis-19959 · 1/10 · 11 July 2023]

A dull, formulaic, movie that makes no attempt at military realism whatsoever. Eye-rolling cringe that takes itself far too seriously. The Gladiator homage scene at the end was worthy of an aloud laugh though.

When will movie makers realize that a decent war movie needs more than some airsoft gear and film sets that are blatantly in the US? The Afghan 'baddies', in particular, were hilarious; as if they were from a live action version of Team America.

The plot was nonsensical, the dialogue contrived beyond belief, and every attempt to create emotional depth served to provoke a snort of derision. Dismal film making that's definitely not worth the 2 hours of viewing.

A really impactful movie if you can remove Hollywood expectations!

[bcaero · 8/10 · 30 November 2023]

I really enjoyed Warhorse One but it does take a bit of patience. Hollywood action and military movies have conditioned us to expensive sets and dramatic effects. I found this to be a much more one character focused story with set intimate action sequences. Others have commented on the endless ammunition but I found the attention to detail refreshing with malfunction clearing and a more steady approach as opposed to typical action movies. The little girl is fantastic and provides the core emotion and motivation for the movie. The dialogue was a little quiet but I took this as intentional due to the evasion and covert aspect of the story. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it was a nice change of pace.

Much better than I expected!

[npvarley · 7/10 · 10 July 2023]

Ok, it's not a movie classic, and I sat down to watch it with low expectations, but this movie turned out to be quite good. I had expected a low budget botch job. Instead, what I got was a pretty well made movie, if a bit corny and by-the-numbers.

It was quite well acted by the cast, with Johnny Strong doing a good job in the title role. And you young actress who played the orphaned girl was very good, too.

The locations were good and even the Talis were quite well played and they did all speak Pushto, surprisingly.

The only annoying thing was that the cinematography got carried away with unnecessary anamorphic blue streaks that looked rather out of place, but that's a minor quibble.

If you're at a loose end, worth a look.

LameHorse One

[jrbond-57624 · 5/10 · 7 July 2023]

A Navy SEAL master chief must guide a child to safety through a gauntlet of Taliban insurgents.

A US Navy SEAL trapped in Afghanistan, and in the first skirmish with the Taliban, he discards with his back pack containing.

Hydration Bladders. This form of hydration replaces the old-school hydration canteen soldiers used to drink on the go. ... First Aid Kits. ... On The Go Food. ... Gun Cleaning Kit And Ammunition. ... Body Armor. ... Compasses. ... Shelter. ... Signal Mirror.

Despite constant engagement with enemy fire, he never runs out of ammo, he jumps into a fast flowing river with his weapon, and comes out holding it. The gun, despite being submerged in water, works perfectly every time and never jams once. I'm all for suspending reality, but oh lord, this film asks a lot. Totally unrealistic. Total BS.

Amateur film.

[ctufan24 · 2/10 · 7 July 2023]

An independent film with a bigger than most budget. #1 issue I have with this film was the music... the audio is drowning out the dialogue; Whoever was in charge of the audio effects seemed to be trying to be "creative".. at one point there was Christmas bells used. Besides the acting being subpar, this is suppose to be taking place in Afghanistan which is a desert landscape... not what looks like Sierra or Rocky Mountains... the film looks like it was filmed in California, Colorado or even Oregon. The film has the "militia" going between English and Arabic. I stopped watching after 25 minutes.

The child steals the show

[drhamblin1040 · 27 August 2023]

I won't give this a number. It's true that it's unreal that Mirko never runs out of ammunition. I noticed and I didn't care. I think it strange that he seemed to move faster and yet, somehow the "insurgents " always seemed to be right behind him. I'm sure that SEALS are better marksmen. He certainly was mistaken to have trusted the obvious enemy and more so to leave the child behind with him, but the rescue effort had to be set up. No one can cover so much challenging terrain and do it with no food and almost no water. There are many faults in the plot and the reflections when looking skyward were annoying to me. So what! I was entertained and amazed at everything that was conveyed in Zoe's expressions. I don't think that can be coached. It has to be natural talent. True, as 1 professional reviewer pointed out, one who acts with children or animals is sure to be upstaged, and Athena Duren did it without having to have a single word of dialogue. That smile...

Logic Died in this movie

[aa-79451 · 1/10 · 28 September 2023]

One of the worst movies ever while it's hard to find one scene with some logic in it.

The master chief has activated some cheat code to have an unlimited ammo , one shot kill skill and DONT DIE cheat code

This is not Afghanistan Those are not Taliban members This is not their language This is not how they look.

In conclusion, "WO 2023" is an exercise in cinematic ineptitude. It fails on every level, from its incoherent plot to its laughable action sequences and abysmal acting. It's a prime example of how not to make an action movie. Save your time and money, and avoid this cinematic catastrophe at all costs. I would give it zero stars if I could.

Surprisingly well done

[dan-42326 · 7/10 · 28 December 2023]

For a supposedly low budget action war movie, this was very well done. Didn't know till afterwards how much was done by Johnny Strong. It was Lone Survivor meets Extraction with a little Black Hawk Down thrown in for good measure. I liked the story, although it dragged somewhat in the second half. Could have been just as good at 1:45 instead of two. Did I know it wasn't filmed in Afghanistan? Of course. Did that bother me? No. The scenery was beautiful and I had to look up the locations. Yes the movie unrealistic at times as others have said, but aren't most action movies? Acting was good, especially from the little girl. It's worth the watch.

It's a sad day

[TomatoesareRotten · 3/10 · 13 July 2023]

When the screenwriters and / or scriptwriters thinks it's a great idea the wring the living daylights out of Afghanistan as a source material , when they've already done the same thing to the country real time ? How many similar movies have been done on the country so far ? Recently we've had The Covenant ( which is basically an identical premise ) , then we have Kandahar and again virtually the same premise ? Were they all copying from the same crib sheet ? This effort is particularly wearisome as the protagonist involved is part of the production house and this comes across as nothing more than a vanity project.

Great heartfelt war movie with great mechanics

[Ken5150k9 · 10/10 · 8 November 2023]

Just watched the movie "Warhorse One". I bought the movie for two reasons. One, was for the actor Johnny Strong. I like his work. The second, is I enjoy watching movies about the heroes that put their lives on the line to keep us safe.

I enjoyed the movie. I felt it was acted well. The cinematography was beautiful. While some may want more dialogue or action. I felt it was done extremely well.

After watching the film, I listened to the director/writer's commentary. Which was done by Johnny Strong, because he was the director and writer. I think he is amazing at his craft and look forward to watching more of his films in the future. It made me appreciate the film even more. Knowing what it took to create the movie.

Form your own opinion and have an open mind

[mybrown-34358 · 7/10 · 4 January 2024]

Y'all are TRIPPIN with the extreme negative reviews. I agree, some parts were corny/cheesy and some tactics were off. But after the first 20-30 minutes of the movie which imo were the corniest moments and hardest to get through, it was just a fun ride with heartfelt moments and some bad*ss action scenes and Johnny Strong grew on me as an "Action Hero" within an hour into the movie. (Let's not forget he played a delta operator in Black Hawk Down). And honestly, it's different from other Afghanistan war movies. Ima just say it... to me, this movie was better than the Covenant. For his first script and directorial debut and given the fact he also scored the music as well by himself and acted in it all on low budget, I was impressed with the outcome. Could've been better and less corny here and there but overall, I give it a 7/10. The POV shot of the taliban dude getting shot in the face point blank range with the 1911 pistol was insane! Fun movie if you can get past the first 20 min.

Your on Your Own

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 17 July 2023]

A Christian missionary family in Afghanistan waits until the last minute to leave and gets turned around while headed for Pakistan. Meanwhile Master Sergeant Rickard Mirko gets shot down in a helicopter flying over the area nearby. His crew is dead and a group of "bad guys" are on they way to get him. He gets away and comes upon the missionary minivan. Everyone is dead except for Zoe Walker (Athena Durner) a young girl who cries a lot. He has to try to survive against the Afghanistan version of the gang that couldn't shoot straight.

The film is about Richard, code name Warhorse One killing as many people as possible to save one American life because we value life more than they do. The theme is semi-religious in that things happen for a reason. Slow moving hide-n-seek with a lot of shooting.

Guide: F-word. No sex or nudity.

DON'T pay attention to the bad reviews - this is a good movie!

[hollymcclure · 8/10 · 15 December 2023]

Everyone's a critic these days!

DON'T pay attention to the bad reviews from people wrongly trying to compare this movie to the "Covenant", "Kandahar" or even "Extraction"... it's not trying to be that kind of movie!

In the first place, "Warhorse One" is NOT a big- budget film, so to try and compare it on that level is ridiculous. What does work is the premise of saving a little girl from Afghanistan after her missionary family has been killed. It uniquely works. Especially after the real-life Israeli children kidnappings. The movie has typical low budget flaws but the unique storyline and strong performances from Johnny Strong and Athena Durner, keep the story interesting and emotionally compelling.

I enjoyed the happy ending, beautiful scenery and interesting locations like the village where seasons 1 & 3 of the show "The Chosen", was filmed (Capernaum Studios, in Texas).

Don't trust armed individuals in unfamiliar places. Stay aware of your surroundings, and if it's time to retreat, retreat.

[noshouse · 6/10 · 14 October 2023]

Amidst the Hamas attacks on Israel, as an Asian outsider, there are many harsh realities that one needs to grasp. What's often claimed as fairness in the name of religion can actually be a false pretext for controlling others. Looking at a real-world international example like Afghanistan, self-proclaimed democracy often falls short in terms of half-hearted psychological maturity, leading to corruption, where the people don't experience the actual benefits of democracy. This is why Afghanistan eventually fell into the hands of the Taliban terrorists. A year has passed, and everyone can see that people are once again restricted by surveillance. This film highlights how once captured by religious terrorists, one is subjected to torture. We genuinely hope that Israel can truly eliminate these false interpretations of justice based on religion. Honestly, why should anyone regard others as infidels and not allow their faith to be questioned by anyone else?

Too long. Too slow. Meh.

[trippbrown · 4/10 · 21 August 2023]

I watched this after watching both Extractions and was hoping for a similar experience. I was dead wrong.

This was agonizing to watch. So drawn out. Even the intro is too long and boring. If the film was condensed into about an hour and 20 mins then it would probably be more entertaining.

Aside from the tempo of the film, it's also hard to believe some aspects of it. It takes place in a lush, green forest with raging waters running through it. Not how most people picture Afghanistan. As mentioned in another review, the accuracy of the gun fire is laughable. How the plot is tough to swallow. And after all that there is a decision made by our star that makes you scratch your head.

I have never turned off a movie and not finished it. I'm 45. This was the closest I have been to doing so.

Majorly disappointed.

[crazyhooligan · 1/10 · 17 July 2023]

The score is so loud it never allowed me to get into the film at all. Not sure what the lead actor was doing as I see he's pretty much the lead, the codirector, the Editor etc etc. He should stick to the gym as he seems to have that down. I've never had to adjust my volume during a film so much due to the loud score that not only drowned out the actors but I felt like I was drowning myself. Better to ignore this film and watch one where it's not so self absorbed and epically loud and long. I couldn't get past half of it and I really tried to finish it but maybe with a proper edit and redone score it could be saved to be somewhat watchable.