Zona Hostil
English title: Rescue Under Fire
This is the 2017 debute feature by multi award winning writer Adolfo Martínez who has a number of movie credits, but this is his first time in charge; Filmed mostly in Almeria, Spain.
Based on a true story set in Afghanistan in 2012, the movie opens with a MEDIVAC call to an Afghan village where a mother and two young children have been injured in an explosion. Despite her desperate efforts Medical Captain Varela played by the excellent Ariadna Gil (Pan`s Labyrinth) cannot save the worst injured child! This event piled on other tramatic incidents, causes Varela to reevaluate her carreer and she tells her direct superior Capt. Torres of her decision to leave the army after this tour. Torres advises her to think about it and then introduces her to a new nurse joining the unit - Rachel Sanchez.
Back at the crash site, Conte gets the good news he and his men have to stay over night (deep in Taliban territory). He organises his command, setting thier VAMTAC tactical vehicles out in a perimeter (they are equipped with ring mounted MG3); he then positions his legionnaires around the rest of the perimeter with a sniper team on the high ground. We see Conte at odds with his veteran Sergeant as to his dispositions, but the young officer stands his ground, even when faced with obvious sarcasm off the older man. When the sniper team asks for someone to cover their exposed flank, Conte sends the Puma`s door gunner - a female soldier Cabo Sobrino much to the amusement of the Legionnaires!
During the night the Taliban make a probing attack, the Legionnaires hold their ground but take a couple of casualties, causing more work for Capt. Varela and her medical team! Up on the hill the sniper team are pinned down by several Taliban until Sobrino lets rip with her MG3 and saves the day! The sniper team no2 has been hit (just a flesh wound in the backside) but upon getting him back to the medics, the sniper is quick to tell everyone how Sobrino saved their butts and the other legionnaires offer her a transfer to their unit, all thoughts of sexism and interservice rivelry forgotten.
The next morning two Chinooks set off on their rescue/recovery mission, one carries extra ammunition and fuel for the legionnaires, the other stripped down for its heavy lift mission.
On arriving they find the position under heavy attack but over a hundred insurgents, the veteran sergeant suggests to Conte his men need some encouragement to bolster their morale, Conte makes an empassioned speech reciting the creed of La Legion. Luckily a couple of Tiger attack helos have been diverted to give a bit of top cover and the legionnaires hold thier perimeter whilst the Chinook with Ledesma at the controls struggles to hook-up and lift the heavy medical bird; RPGs and ground fire make the whole process more difficult as the Taliban make a last ditch assault on the stretched Spanish perimeter. An RPG team on a motorbike breaks through, but Conte intercepts them alone fighting desperately hand-to-hand to prevent them firing on the Chinook! Just as the Taliban gunner was targeting the Chinook, Varela kills him with her pistol saving the day!
The uniforms, equipment and gear is excellent, the action well directed and well paced, the cast good and their performance very solid. The film was nominated for two Goya Awards (the spanish BAFTA) and was a box office hit in Spain. The English DVD release "Rescue Under Fire" is in Spanish but has subtitles.
The fact that the movie is based on a real incident in August 2012 north of Bala Murghab is pretty cool and interesting. During the credits the director and producers give thanks for all the assistance given by the Spanish armed forces durig the making of the film and remember the one hundred Spaniards who gave their lives as part of the international efforts in Afghanistan 😔
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