Critic Reviews

There's nothing terribly surprising about Special Forces, a moderately gripping action flick about a group of commandos on a mission to rescue a pretty blonde who has been abducted by the Taliban. Nothing, that is, except that it's French.

For a while Degan's serious charisma also kind of makes Islamic extremist fundamentalism look cool and badass, which could have been hilariously subversive if director Stéphane Rybojad had pushed it further.

It's an odd showcase for Diane Kruger. She is never very believable as Elsa, a war correspondent who has been kidnapped by the Taliban.

Dedicated to French servicemen and wartime journalists, Special Forces aims to inspire but ends up wallowing in melodrama.

This tale of an elite military unit assigned to rescue a war correspondent kidnapped by the Taliban is as frenetic and ultimately mind-numbing as a "Call of Duty" videogame, only without the thematic depth.

The film walks a questionable line between Important Issue seriousness and antsy video-game machismo.