12 Strong
Warner Bros. | Release Date: January 19, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
54
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 43 Critic Reviews
Positive:
18
Mixed:
22
Negative:
3
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliJan 19, 2018
12 Strong represents a recent war as depicted on screen in an old-fashioned way. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenJan 18, 2018
It’s a remarkable true tale of great heroism. It’s also an account of a clash of cultures. Read full review
75
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonJan 18, 2018
In essence, it shows that what the “horse soldiers” did was pretty remarkable — efficient, daring, effective. Read full review
70
New York Daily NewsEthan SacksJan 17, 2018
Battle sequences on horseback are executed perfectly for maximum pulse quickening. It helps to have a few good men — with apologies to Army vets disgusted with the Marine reference — cast in the supporting roles. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterTodd McCarthyJan 17, 2018
It's virtually all Hemsworth's show and he's entirely up to the task of carrying the film on his broad shoulders: He's charismatic, fearless, confident, jokey and a good old Kentucky boy who just wants to get the job done and return home to his wife and daughter. Read full review
70
TheWrapInkoo KangJan 17, 2018
The Chris Hemsworth vehicle is is often hammy, but also wryly funny, breath-stoppingly tense, and uncommonly intelligent. Its January dump is a disservice to a promising debut feature. Read full review
67
The Film StageJared MobarakJan 19, 2018
Fuglsig’s job was to document, commemorate, and inspire. He does all three. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleRichard WhittakerJan 17, 2018
There's a reason why Afghanistan is called the graveyard of empires – a phrase repeated throughout 12 Strong, a depiction of one of the first and most unequivocal victories of the U.S. war against the Taliban and al Qaeda. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyJan 17, 2018
For a movie produced by red-meat action maestro Jerry Bruckheimer and starring Thor himself as the face of camo-clad vengeance, 12 Strong somewhat surprisingly manages to fall (just barely) on the nuanced side of the scale. Even if you can feel the film’s director, Nicolai Fuglsig, battling with himself to get it there. Read full review
63
RogerEbert.comChristy LemireJan 19, 2018
The cumulative effect is draining; you’ll walk out of the theater with the feeling that you, too, have gone to war – and an appreciation for those who are brave enough to do so themselves. Read full review
63
St. Louis Post-DispatchCalvin WilsonJan 18, 2018
Director Nicolai Fuglsig delivers an action drama that gets the job done without ever catching fire. But the well-chosen, charismatic cast makes the most out of the material. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorJan 18, 2018
That is what makes the movie highly watchable – along with Hemsworth's affable presence, backed by the always reliable Shannon and with Michael Pena and Trevante Rhodes as two of the soldiers, providing wry commentary from the sidelines. Read full review
63
USA TodayBrian TruittJan 18, 2018
Hemsworth’s machismo is all real, though, and for two war-torn hours, you’ll forget about that iconic hammer of his. Read full review
63
Rolling StonePeter TraversJan 18, 2018
What 12 Strong does deliver, however, is a rousing tribute to the bravery of soldiers whose contributions went unheralded for years. That impact cannot be denied. Read full review
63
The Associated PressLindsey BahrJan 18, 2018
What separates “12 Strong” from the pack...is its ability to introduce and stay with a band of brothers worth caring about. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTom RussoJan 17, 2018
Danish photojournalist-turned-director Nicolai Fuglsig channels his experience into a credibly stark snapshot of war, one that helps audiences further grasp why the region has been so hellishly problematic for American troops. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRichard RoeperJan 17, 2018
12 Strong winds up being an almost-good film about some great American soldiers. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneMichael PhillipsJan 17, 2018
12 Strong sticks to the basics, without much interest in the differentiating specifics of the men involved, or anything on a geopolitical scale beyond the impulse these Special Forces veterans shared in the wake of 9/11. It seems to me a qualified, limited success. Read full review
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