Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony (2024)

Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony (1)

Jim Morazzini

Set in the closing days of the US involvement in Afghanistan, Warhorse One opens with one of the characters saying “Three administrations held this thing together, now this one wants to walk away and let the enemy take over the country”, conveniently forgetting it was the third of those administrations who ordered the release of several thousand Taliban prisoners then signed the agreement to pull American troops out.

After that bit of blatant political propaganda, I probably should have written off the rental fee and found something else to watch, but being the stubborn bastard that I am, I kept watching. I should have trusted my instincts.

That opening conversation ends with a SEAL team which includes Master Chief Richard Mirko (Johnny Strong, Invincible, Black Hawk Down), codenamed Warhorse One, being sent to rescue a missionary and his family who are being pursued by the Taliban. On the way there their chopper is shot down, Mirko is blown out of the craft and not only survives the fall but gets up, dusts himself off, and decides to complete the mission by himself.

Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony (2)

The only problem is by the time he finds them, the missionary and his family are, with the exception of six-year-old Zoe (Athena Durner) dead. That left me wondering what kind of asshole brings his wife and young children into a war zone as brutal as Afghanistan in the first place? He had to know the risks of being an American missionary, let alone one covertly helping the US military.

If he and his wife wanted to take the risk, fine, but to put a death sentence on their kids as well is just sick. And why, since he was doing The Lord’s work, didn’t God save their collective asses, was He too busy cushioning Mirko’s fall? But then if he did save them we wouldn’t have this dollar store version of Extraction to watch, would we?

This is very much Strong’s film. Apart from starring he also co-wrote and co-directed with William Kaufman (The Channel, Daylight’s End) as well as writing the score, working on the VFX, doing the editing, makeup, props, and probably a few other things I missed. So the credit and/or blame for how Warhorse One turned out can mostly be given to him. Unfortunately, there’s a lot more blame than credit to be delivered.

Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony (3)

First of all, there is no reason for Warhorse One to run for two hours. The plot, and action, are incredibly simplistic and could easily have been covered in ninety minutes. Sticking in more repetitive scenes of gunfire doesn’t make it any more exciting. If those firefights had been better filmed it might have made a difference, but most of them follow the same generic template. Mirko fires at Taliban fighters we can’t see. The film cuts to them shooting back at Mirko who is now off-screen. Mirko fires some more. We cut back to the bad guys, this time with some CGI blood spray.

Likewise, the film’s characterization is almost nonexistent. Mirko is the second coming of John Wayne, all things heroic and virtuous with one mission, protect innocent little Zoe. The Afghans are subhuman beasts who we see cheerfully kill Zoe’s unarmed family and take selfies with their corpses. And of course, one threatens to molest her at a later point in the film.

When one of the Taliban asks our hero why the Americans came to their country and killed so many of their civilians, he responds “So we can kill shitheads like you”. We get it, white man good, brown man evil. And, whether intentionally or not, that’s reinforced by the fact all the US personnel we see are Caucasian. It’s been pointed out that a Hispanic soldier is seen in the flashback to the chopper. He’s visible in a couple of quick shots that maybe last thirty seconds combined, and has no dialogue.

Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony (4)

There is some chemistry in some of the scenes between Zoe and Mirko, Durner is surprisingly good for a first time child performer. Unfortunately, there are frequent problems with the score drowning out their dialogue, undermining even that minor positive.

Warhorse One was made with a particular audience in mind, and if you fall into it, you may enjoy it. If you don’t then you’re in for a long two hours unless you’re smarter than me and bail out early.

Well Go USA released Warhorse One to theatres on June 30th and to Digital and VOD Platforms on July 4th. If you’re looking for something similar but hopefully better, FilmTagger can offer some suggestions.

Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony (5)

Where to watch Warhorse One

Our Score

Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony (2024)

FAQs

Warhorse One (2023) Review - Voices From The Balcony? ›

First of all, there is no reason for Warhorse One to run for two hours. The plot, and action, are incredibly simplistic and could easily have been covered in ninety minutes. Sticking in more repetitive scenes of gunfire doesn't make it any more exciting.

Is Warhorse One 2023 a true story? ›

Remember, its not a documentary and never claims to be.

Who is the little girl in Warhorse One spoilers? ›

WARHORSE ONE follows downed Navy SEAL Master Chief Richard Mirko (Johnny Strong) as he attempts to rescue a young child (Athena Durner) from the Afghanistan mountains while under attack from Taliban insurgents.

Was Warhorse One filmed in Afghanistan? ›

Warhorse One (2023) has a darling child actor, and a lead actor that is able to use weapons with an authentic skill. It also is so low budget that Afghanistan is actually filmed in Texas, the bad guys shake their guns to pretend that they are firing and they have white guys dressed up as Taliban.

Is Warhorse One worth watching? ›

It's pretty good, it's entertaining, there are some tense scenes. It's not the best war film out there, but it's ok for a non-war-knowledgeable human.

How many f words are in Warhorse One? ›

That said, WARHORSE ONE is marred by some strong foul language, including eight “f” words and very strong war violence with multiple gun battles. Also, in one scene, the hero mentions a Muslim soldier working for the American who sacrificed his own life for the hero's platoon.

Does Mirko survive in Warhorse One? ›

One of the SEAL team operators, Master Chief Richard Mirko (Johnny Strong), is thrown from the wreckage, miraculously surviving the crash.

Does Zoe survive in Warhorse One? ›

Everyone is dead except for Zoe Walker (Athena Durner) a young girl who cries a lot.

What happened to the granddaughter in War Horse? ›

He tells Albert that Emilie has died, and after hearing about the miracle horse, he has walked three days to get Joey back, for the sake of his beloved granddaughter's memory. Albert pleads for the horse with Emilie's grandfather, who at first remains stoic.

What happened to Emily in War Horse? ›

She wants to keep the horses with her forever, and it breaks her heart when Herr Major commandeers them for his artillery unit. After this final loss, she wastes away and eventually dies of sorrow and trauma at the young age of 15.

How old is the little girl in Warhorse One? ›

Athena Durner plays Zoe, a child of five who becomes “the objective” in this lumbering, first-person-shooter thriller about a sole surviving “frogman” trying to get this one child chased by scores of glowering, murderous Taliban to a constantly-delayed exfil point.

Where was War Horse 1 filmed in Utah? ›

Strong wrote and directed the film, which was shot in Texas and tells the story of a Navy SEAL master chief (played by Strong) helping missionaries evacuate Afghanistan as U.S. forces pull out of the nation's 20-plus-years-long involvement.

Where was Warhorse One shot? ›

Actor, writer, and producer Johnny Strong makes his directorial debut with the film "Warhorse One". He takes us behind the scenes of the movie filmed in Texas.

Is War Horse based on a true story? ›

The book, WARRIOR: The Amazing Story of a Real War Horse (published 1934) and documentary: War Horse: The Real Story (TV Movie 2012) is the extraordinary and deeply moving story of the million British horses that served in WWI. The true story is more epic than the Spielberg feature film.

What is the story behind the Warhorse One? ›

The film tells the story of a Navy SEAL Master Chief who accidentally lands in the mountains on the Afghan border. He must lead a child in distress to safety before air support arrives, fighting Taliban rebels along the way.

How does Warhorse One end ending? ›

On the way there their chopper is shot down, Mirko is blown out of the craft and not only survives the fall but gets up, dusts himself off, and decides to complete the mission by himself.

What is the story behind the WARHORSE ONE? ›

The film tells the story of a Navy SEAL Master Chief who accidentally lands in the mountains on the Afghan border. He must lead a child in distress to safety before air support arrives, fighting Taliban rebels along the way.

Is Joey in War Horse real? ›

Somewhat confoundingly, during the production, ten or so different horses were used to play Joey, including the superstar thoroughbred horse actor who played Seabiscuit. Seabiscuit is apparently the Brad Pitt of horses, and was brought in to handle the serious scenes.

Is the movie The horse Soldiers based on a true story? ›

The screenplay by John Lee Mahin and Martin Rackin was loosely based on the Harold Sinclair (1907-1966) 1956 novel of historical fiction of the same name, a fictionalized version of the famous Grierson's Raid by Federal cavalry in April-May 1863 riding southward through Mississippi and around the Mississippi River ...

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