The Patrol (2014)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Considering the low budget of the film, the Patrol does a sterling job of showing the various emotions, conflicts and actions that can occur during war.For those decrying the film as garbage, I wonder if that 'knowledge' is based on how many hours you've clocked up on COD or how many times you've seen 13 Hours.One reviewer attempts to suggest the SA80 is a wonderful rifle as one Private routinely bitches about it during the course of the film.Apparently, said reviewer knows more about the quality of the firearm than Ian V Hogg, one of the foremost experts in the field of small arms."Soon after being adopted for service, problems began to surface:…the first five years of this rifle's service have been disastrous. A number of manufacturing defects showed up in service conditions, and it was not until the closure of the RSAF at Enfield and the setting up of an entirely new production line, with new computer- controlled machine tools, at the new RSAF Nottingham, that the quality of the production weapons began to improve. It will take some time for the poor reputation gained by the initial issue weapons to be overcome; the only consolation is that the same sort of thing has happened to other military rifles in the past, and they have managed to live down their early reputation and prove their innate reliability. It is to be hoped that the L85A1 will do so as well."A quote from the reviewer: "So if the SAS don't use a certain weapon it must be rubbish ? Not sure if that's good yardstick to judge something with". The SAS weren't alone. The Pathfinder company of the Parachute Regiment and Brigade Patrol Group of the Royal Marines also ditched the firearm in preference to M16 based platforms.As for the SAS being a 'good yardstick'. The answer to that one is quite firmly "yes, actually". Britain's premier counter-terrorist, long range patrol & other special operations tasked unit might actually know a little of what they're talking about.As mentioned by the unit's Lieutenant, the later A2 modification saw a quantum leap in reliability, although the weapons this unit are using are quite obviously earlier versions complete with their reliability issues.The same reviewer feels the action is reminiscent of Vietnam rather than Afghanistan. Really? What a surprise. An unpopular counter- insurgency conflict where the lines of battle blur more often than sunsets.As for the fractured cohesion of the unit. Is there any real wonder? Paratroopers, Royal Marines & Territorial Army soldiers mixed in within one patrol? A recipe for problems in anyone's book.I suspect if you're after a 'ooh rah' war movie, watch something starring John Wayne or Michael Dudikoff, not something that might actually be based in some sort of reality.

waste of £5 that I spent shopping, I spent 6 years as a tracker in SA and I've seen a better plot and action in a children's nappy, toy story has more convincing plot lines, even the basic maneuvers of this group would be wrong, terrible portrayal of the English army but on the plus side, the musical score was very good,maybe next time the crew go spend some time with a platoon, though, the scenery was excellent, i suppose it just made the English army disorganized and under supplied, the latter being true but give these boys a chance, being in a country they shouldn't be in, don't make them out to be like the characters in this movie!

I think this is a really entertaining film and really worth a watch, really encapsulates the passion that these people go through. Really interesting cinematography and different from most mainstream high budget films.I think anyone that loves films should support artists like this with clearly so much talent and passion. I really like the topic, well executed and with a human side too which is always appealing.I hope to see this film really make it into the main stream, so much of todays films are samey and very much targeted at the same type of people. really hope you watch this and the films with these type of background, it really helps the industry and helps support independent film producers that help prevent the entire industry becoming exactly the same.hope you all enjoy it as much as i did.

review contains spoilers.This movie was horrible. That its written on the cover art "the British answer to the hurt locker" is honestly offensive. The film lacks any semblance of plot whatsoever. It is beyond me why the other review made some comment about the combat scenes being realistic. As a combat veteran of the Israeli army, I can safely say that they were anything BUT realistic. Its as if the director looked up "combat Iraq" on youtube, found a video shot with some soldiers helmet cam and decided that that was what combat looks like. This could not be farther from the truth. The special effects were horrible. The acting was horrible. There was a complete lack of character development. I cannot believe that I just watched more than an hour of fake soldiers bitching about their equipment. If you expected an action movie, look elsewhere. If you enjoy being bored out of your mind and annoyed this movie is for you. If you are a combat veteran stay far away, this movie is an insult of the highest level.