The Patrol - film review

Tom Petch's directorial debut is an Afghanistan-set drama that basically suggests the British army needs to cut loose from an unwinnable and morally dubious war
28 February 2014

There's much to admire about writer/director Tom Petch's extremely low-budget debut, an Afghanistan-set drama that basically suggests the British army needs to cut loose from an unwinnable and morally dubious war. Petch is ex army and many of the details embedded in his script convince. It's 2006 and tensions abound in a small unit, forced to spend longer than expected in an exposed part of Helmand province. Class differences provides the major fault line.

Gauche Captain Richardson (Ben Righton) treats his blokey troops like expendables, reserving softer treatment for those with accents more like his own. Some of the encounters feel like they've tumbled out of a BBC Play for Today. Unfortunately, the writing and acting aren't quite sharp enough to make The Patrol a must-see for curious liberals. And the visual effects will underwhelm audiences in search of action.

David O Russell's Three Kings (1999) – exploring the dire ironies of US foreign policy in Iraq - found a way to make army life seem explosively strange. The Patrol, lacking that kind of flair, is a half-accomplished mission; let's hope that next time (and with more resources) Petch can launch a more sustained attack.

The Patrol screens at The Ritzy Fri Feb 28, at 6.30, followed by a Q&A with cast and crew. picturehouses.co.uk

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in