# Hyena Road



## dimsum

http://www.cineplex.com/News/Article?friendlyUrl=Paul-Gross-goes-down-Hyena-Road-in-exclusive-trailer-for-Canadian-war-drama&cplxlike=true

Saw this on a friends' FB; I didn't know Paul Gross was making a movie about the Canadians in Kandahar.


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## Old Sweat

His father was a squadron commander in the Strathconas when I was in Germany in the mid-1960s.


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## George Wallace

Old Sweat said:
			
		

> His father was a squadron commander in the Strathconas when I was in Germany in the mid-1960s.



And then the CO of the RCD in Gagetown after that.  He took over command of the RCD from LCol Gordon Kitchen on 04 August 1969.


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## CougarKing

A still from _Hyena Road_, starring Rossif Sutherland, Paul Gross, and Christine Horne. (picture courtesy of Winnipeg Free Press site)


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## Scoobie Newbie

Some of the arty parts were filmed in Shilo


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## Retired AF Guy

Here is the IMDB listing for  Hyena Road.   It has basic info on the stars, production staff and filming locations (CFB Shilo and Jordan), etc. No info on release dates.


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## Teager

Trailer for the movie. Release date is October 9th 2015

http://trailers.apple.com/ca/independent/hyenaroad/


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## Fishbone Jones

Teager said:
			
		

> Trailer for the movie. Release date is October 9th 2015
> 
> http://trailers.apple.com/ca/independent/hyenaroad/



That showed me enough. Worth a skip from me.


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## vonGarvin

Acorn telling a sniper to not engage? 

Nope.


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## George Wallace

recceguy said:
			
		

> That showed me enough. Worth a skip from me.



So it is an iTunes download incompatible with what I am running, and not worth trying to see?  OK!


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## Humphrey Bogart

Technoviking said:
			
		

> Acorn telling a sniper to not engage?
> 
> Nope.



Gross needs to ditch the goatee as well.  Sergeant Major is going to have a fit   ;D


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## dapaterson

Technoviking said:
			
		

> Acorn telling a sniper to not engage?
> 
> Nope.



Exactly.  We all know that nothing ever comes out of the ASIC.


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## vonGarvin

dapaterson said:
			
		

> Exactly.  We all know that nothing ever comes out of the ASIC.


:rofl:


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## observor 69

Trailer for Paul Gross film #HyenaRoad with @christinejhorne & @richmondpeck - https://youtu.be/G95rPqBxPmQ  via @YouTube

Hyena Road is proud to announce its partnership with Wounded Warriors Canada
http://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/hyena-road-is-proud-to-announce-its-partnership-with-wounded-warriors-canada-523428561.html

Already entered as :
http://army.ca/forums/threads/117517.0.html

Mods please delete or move.

Thanks


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## Towards_the_gap

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> A still from _Hyena Road_, starring Rossif Sutherland, Paul Gross, and Christine Horne. (picture courtesy of Winnipeg Free Press site)



Was their technical advisor a Malaysian dishwasher from the Burj Al Khalifa in Dubai (no offensive to any Malaysian dishwashers on army.ca)? No right thinking, grapefield leaping, IED dodging outside-the-wire panjwai cowboy would ever look at them, with every single piece of kit shiny, brand new, and not even slightly dirty and think 'yup, that seems legit'. Everyone knows the SOP on landing in KAF was to go outside the RSOI tents and drag your Blackhawk/5.11/CF issue (shudder) tacvest through the dirt a few times to give it that 'BTDT' look. Never mind half the reason to go on tour in the first place was to unblouse your boots at the first chance like a proper operator. 

Although I will give them this. They got one thing historically correct. If I am assuming correctly and the film is set post-Jan 2010, then the one dude with the ruck sack is spot on. 

He's carrying the ROE's and the language cards which helpfully told you how to call a Kuchi goatherd to attention and have him 'for inspection, port arms' in Pashto OR Urdu.
Big ole F from me.


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## dimsum

Anyone that is in/near Toronto:  Hyena Road will be playing at the TIFF Lightbox Cinema on Tuesday, 15 Sep at 1330.

http://tiff.net/festivals/festival15/galapresentations/hyena-road


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## dimsum

So I saw the movie at the gala premiere last night - MGen Milner, LGen (Ret'd) Leslie and LGen (Ret'd) Dallaire were also in attendance, as were a few officers in Mess Kit (and one Cpl in DEU).  

To cut to the chase, it isn't Passchendaele.  There is a very small relationship shown, but it didn't distract from the movie in general.  Obviously folks in the CAF will pick apart technical details but aside from Paul Gross's beard, it seemed like they at least tried to keep it somewhat accurate - they used quite a bit of footage from KAF and Kandahar province shot in 2010-2011 and it showed.  

In short - if I wasn't in the military and saw Hyena Road, I would come out of it with a greater respect of the situations that happened over there.  But I am, and that beard really bothered me.   >


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## Strike

Dimsum said:
			
		

> So I saw the movie at the gala premiere last night - MGen Milner, LGen (Ret'd) Leslie and LGen (Ret'd) Dallaire were also in attendance, as were a few officers in Mess Kit (and one Cpl in DEU).
> 
> To cut to the chase, it isn't Passchendaele.  There is a very small relationship shown, but it didn't distract from the movie in general.  Obviously folks in the CAF will pick apart technical details but aside from Paul Gross's beard, it seemed like they at least tried to keep it somewhat accurate - they used quite a bit of footage from KAF and Kandahar province shot in 2010-2011 and it showed.
> 
> In short - if I wasn't in the military and saw Hyena Road, I would come out of it with a greater respect of the situations that happened over there.  But I am, and that beard really bothered me.   >



I'm looking forward to seeing it myself.  Had a chance to speak briefly with Mr Gross last summer before he started working on it and there was a very noticeable change in his demeanor when the topic came up.  It's a project he's been very passionate about since he first started researching it.


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## blackberet17

From the still...

Does Mr. Gross have his middle finger on the trigger? Index is above and off the trigger, but it looks like he's stuck his middle finger in there...

And yes, I realize how that sounds, my brain is tired and the vocab escapes me.


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## Strike

blackberet17 said:
			
		

> From the still...
> 
> Does Mr. Gross have his middle finger on the trigger? Index is above and off the trigger, but it looks like he's stuck his middle finger in there...
> 
> And yes, I realize how that sounds, my brain is tired and the vocab escapes me.



Okay, if you're going to pick on a still (of a moving picture in which he may have been prepositioning) might I suggest to you that you DON'T go and watch the film?


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## Towards_the_gap

Unfortunately, the devil is in the detail, as I humourously elaborated on earlier. If you can't get the look and feel of a particular time frame in history right, what chance have you of convincing anyone who had actually been there. 

If someone asks me for a recommendation of a film that best encapsulates the 'afghan' experience, I'll direct them to 'Restrepo', 'The Hornets Nest', 'This Is Nowhere' or possibly 'Kandahar Journals'. All documentaries.

To me at least, the trailer for Hyena road is just too.....Hollywood-ish.


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## dimsum

Towards_the_gap said:
			
		

> Unfortunately, the devil is in the detail, as I humourously elaborated on earlier. If you can't get the look and feel of a particular time frame in history right, what chance have you of convincing anyone who had actually been there.
> 
> If someone asks me for a recommendation of a film that best encapsulates the 'afghan' experience, I'll direct them to 'Restrepo', 'The Hornets Nest', 'This Is Nowhere' or possibly 'Kandahar Journals'. All documentaries.
> 
> To me at least, the trailer for Hyena road is just too.....Hollywood-ish.



Agreed...if the target audience is former TFK folks.  For the average movie-goer or friend/family of a CAF member, whether the middle finger was on the trigger or if the patches weren't exactly right is, IMHO, irrelevant.  

At worst, most will come out watching a decent Canadian movie.  At best, it'll get them researching that time which leads to Restrepo, etc.


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## jollyjacktar

Well I have to say, from viewing the trailer, the decision to shoot the kid who was picking up that projectile/IED( as if it was made of styrofoam, weight wise) was a good one.  Anyone who can sling those around as if they're 2 lbs needs to be shot and put down for the safety of all humanity.


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## blackberet17

Strike said:
			
		

> Okay, if you're going to pick on a still (of a moving picture in which he may have been prepositioning) might I suggest to you that you DON'T go and watch the film?



I couldn't resist!

Besides, I was so thoroughly disappointed by Passchendaele, I had to pick on something before seeing this one.


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## The Bread Guy

If you love/hate the flick, you'll soon be able to love/hate the book!


> Paul Gross’s war movie, Hyena Road, about Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, isn’t hitting theatres until Oct. 9. But head to a local bookstore right now and you’ll find a novelization with Gross’s name on it, published by HarperCollins Canada.
> 
> A simultaneous cinema release and novel adaptation isn’t a common phenomenon anymore, especially for Canadian films, but it has happened before – with Gross, as it turns out. According to HarperCollins Canada editorial director Jennifer Lambert, the publisher worked closely with Gross’s team to create a novel out of the screenplay for his 2008 film Passchendaele.
> 
> Lambert says, “That was very, very successful for us, so when Paul had a new movie, his team at Rhombus Media reached out to us to say, ‘Would you like to collaborate again?’ Of course, the answer was yes.”
> 
> From there, a ghostwriter was hired and given access to Gross’s screenplay, a rough cut of the film, and the movie’s military advisers. Changes and additions were made, but it was important to Lambert that the novel honour Gross’s contributions, which is why the book cover credits his screenplay.
> 
> “It was our way of acknowledging his primary contribution to the novel and our way to acknowledge that this is based on the story, ideas, and characters created by Paul,” says Lambert.
> 
> HyenaRoadGross’s name on the cover also means that in the coming weeks he’ll be able to promote the book together with the movie ....



More on the book from the publisher's page here.


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## daftandbarmy

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> Well I have to say, from viewing the trailer, the decision to shoot the kid who was picking up that projectile/IED( as if it was made of styrofoam, weight wise) was a good one.  Anyone who can sling those around as if they're 2 lbs needs to be shot and put down for the safety of all humanity.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S06nIz4scvI


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## fake penguin

Download the book hyhena road last night.
In to chapter three, I am enjoying the book itself just not sure if it going to tell us what it was like over there. I think the book and the movie will be enjoyable I hope after it comes out people don't start to talk like they know all about it because the read or saw a movie.


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## jollyjacktar

I have been given two tickets to the screening here in Ottawa tonight.  At least the price will be right for the film if it's another Passchendaele.  Still, I am interested to see what their in-country clips will include, what places I might know.


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## jollyjacktar

I've just come home from the movie.  Dimsum had it right, it's no Passchendaele but if you're looking for everything exactly right, give it a miss.  To those who've been, there will be plenty to pick apart at leisure and entertainment but if you treat it as it's intended, a form of entertainment with artistic licence applied it's watchable.  Judging by the comments of the civilians in the audience at the exits, they enjoyed the film and were entertained.  Mission accomplished.

I didn't have the high hopes I had on going into the film as I did with Passchendaele, so in that respect I wasn't as disappointed by the film.  That being said, Kandahar Journal, is the film I want to see.


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## Teager

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> That being said, Kandahar Journal, is the film I want to see.



Saw it last night on the Documentary channel. It does not shy away from showing the more graphic side of the war. Since it has been aired once it may be aired again especially around Rememberance Day.


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## rmc_wannabe

Went to the late night screening last night. 

It was about what I expected. There were inaccuracies, but I accept that as it was not a documentary.


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## Sythen

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> That being said, Kandahar Journal, is the film I want to see.



I went to the premier here in Ottawa a couple weeks ago. It's a decent movie, but I found the narration was cringy in some spots. It came across as trying too hard to be poetic and deep, but all it sounded was cliche. The video, and some of the narration was really good. Basically when he talked about what he saw and did it was good. When he tried to be poetic, it sounds like a high school kid wrote it.


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## jollyjacktar

I had to give the premier a miss that night.  I suppose nothing will be perfect be it a film or doc, still, I want to see it.


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## Sythen

It's definitely worth a watch, sorry if I came across saying otherwise. If anyone gets the chance, watch it no question.


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## Eland2

I saw Hyena Road last night and thought it was a good movie, if a bit imperfect at times. Too often "roger that" was being said by a lot of the characters, and I was beginning to wonder - is this a movie about Canadian soldiers in Afghanistan, or American ones? Even the discipline seemed a little slack. I realize that Gross probably opted to soft-pedal or gloss over some of the finer details about how the army functions in the field, as they would be unlikely to interest an audience much. 

One thing that was impressive was seeing how authentic the voice procedure was in general - with proper callsigns, etc. and it imparted a very realistic feel to things. It also gave the audience a very rare look at how C3 functions are really carried out in a combat environment.

Most impressive of all were the battle scenes - very intense and very realistic. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie where, apart from the brutal opening scenes of Saving Private Ryan, the combat action was that intense and that realistic. 

I also thought there was a lot of honesty in the movie, in that Canadian soldiers weren't shown winning every battle, in an attempt to convey just how dangerous the Afghan mission really was and how the Canadian Army was routinely confronted with seething hostility and danger from virtually all corners. In short in an environment in which prevailing over the enemy was never a sure thing. 

Hyena Road is definitely worth watching. It's well shot and the pacing is generally well done, and the story that underpins the whole enterprise is solid. The acting is highly variable, running from a bit wooden and poorly articulated, to excellent.

It's a much better movie than that pile of dreck Passchendaele was, although I do agree that as a writer and producer, Gross tends to get out of his depth when he attempts to be poetic. 

As an aside, I saw quite a few young guys in the theatre. Judging from their very short hair and bearing, I suspect they were reservists as there haven't been many regular force people in town ever since 1RCR was moved from CFB London to Petawawa.


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## RedcapCrusader

fake penguin said:
			
		

> Download the book hyhena road last night.
> In to chapter three, I am enjoying the book itself just not sure if it going to tell us what it was like over there. I think the book and the movie will be enjoyable I hope after it comes out people don't start to talk like they know all about it because the read or saw a movie.



There's a lot better books out there if you're looking for "painting the picture of what it was like over there"


Taliban Don't Wave
Outside The Wire
Clearing The Way

etc.


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## brihard

Sythen said:
			
		

> I went to the premier here in Ottawa a couple weeks ago. It's a decent movie, but I found the narration was cringy in some spots. It came across as trying too hard to be poetic and deep, but all it sounded was cliche. The video, and some of the narration was really good. Basically when he talked about what he saw and did it was good. When he tried to be poetic, it sounds like a high school kid wrote it.



So basically, Paul Gross.


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## Good2Golf

Towards_the_gap said:
			
		

> If someone asks me for a recommendation of a film that best encapsulates the 'afghan' experience, I'll direct them to '*Restrepo*', 'The Hornets Nest', 'This Is Nowhere' or possibly 'Kandahar Journals'. All documentaries.



 :nod:

Also, for a straight-up account of the extreme side of AFG, Sebastian Junger's War is a solid, if not, sobering read.

Haven't seen Hyena Road yet, but I'm open to giving it some latitude, poor trigger discipline of Paul Gross notwithstanding...


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## jollyjacktar

Also, Armadillo  The Danes tour in 09/10.


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## Strike

Friend of mine, who's former ANA and now living in Toronto, went to see it over the weekend and he was thoroughly impressed.  He was very pleased with the portrayal of both his home country and the Afghans in general, saying it was one of the most accurate he's seen on film/tv ever.

I am going to have to wait until next weekend to go see it since I'm going to be out of town and promised the other half that we'd go together.  Given the reviews from soldiers and non-soldiers alike, this may be one of the few movies that has come as close to 'getting it right' as we're likely to see.


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## daftandbarmy

Strike said:
			
		

> Friend of mine, who's former ANA and now living in Toronto, went to see it over the weekend and he was thoroughly impressed.  He was very pleased with the portrayal of both his home country and the Afghans in general, saying it was one of the most accurate he's seen on film/tv ever.
> 
> I am going to have to wait until next weekend to go see it since I'm going to be out of town and promised the other half that we'd go together.  Given the reviews from soldiers and non-soldiers alike, this may be one of the few movies that has come as close to 'getting it right' as we're likely to see.



Well, that's good enough for me!


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## PuckChaser

It redeemed Gross from Passchendale for me. Excellent film, but then again, I can turn off the OCD that everything must be perfect. It's fairly accurate WRT equipment, some cheesy lines that normal civilians wouldn't think would be so cheesy, but overall very good.


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## RocketRichard

An excellent film.  Two thumbs up.


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## prairefire

I saw Hyena Road this evening with my nephew who was in Afghanistan with 2VP and forward deployed. We both found the film very enjoyable and many of the combat scenes were to him a realistic depiction of what he had been through. He remarked that much of the stuff was somewhat sanitized while other aspects were a little bit  :facepalm: displayed with artistic license, to use his turn of phrase. Having been out of the army for some 20 years I looked at the film through 2 sets of eyes. One as a soldier with out of date info, and as a civilian with some insight provided by my nephew and a few other friends who were deployed to KAF. As a previous poster had observed the radio procedure was very accurate and certain aspects, like the beard was irritating. But looking at the movie through eyes that would best be described as those of an educated civilian it was bloody good entertainment. All in all it was a positive portrayal of Canadian soldiers working under tough conditions and hinted at the difficulty of making morally correct choices with imperfect info. A point that some of my more progressive friends are not happy with...... you mean soldiers at war can do good? Sarcasm Intended. On leaving the cinema my nephew and I were discussing some technical aspects of the film when two couples overheard us and then asked me(the old guy) if I was there. I said no he was....my baby faced nephew..... They were surprised and we somewhat sheepish when they thanked him profusely for his service.


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## Ludoc

prairefire said:
			
		

> ...the beard was irritating.


He was an Int weenie, probably had a beard chit, they all seem to.


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## Flavus101

PuckChaser said:
			
		

> It redeemed Gross from Passchendale for me. Excellent film, but then again, I can turn off the OCD that everything must be perfect. It's fairly accurate WRT equipment, some cheesy lines that normal civilians wouldn't think would be so cheesy, but overall very good.



I think that is quite well put.


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## Louie Palu

Hey everyone,

Alot of interesting and good debate and discussion going on here. If you want to see Kandahar Journals it will be screening in Ottawa on November 11 at the Bytowne Theater for Remembrance Day. Details here-

http://www.bytowne.ca/movie/kandahar-journals

The documentary Channel (a CBC subscription special channel) has broadcasts on these days
Oct 30 and Nov 16 both at 10 pm

If you are interested in the film and the background on how it was made the website has loads of information on my 5-years there- www.kandaharjournals.com

You can also follow the film on twitter- @kandaharfilm 
and on its Facebook page here- https://www.facebook.com/KandaharJournals


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## Humphrey Bogart

There were some Op HONOUR worthy lines in that film.  

"I'm going to fraternize the shit outta you!"

"I'm going whip out my 777 and shoot a fire mission all over your backside!"

When Gross said that I got creeped out lol.

"Cyprus was amazing!"

"I got pregnant in Cyprus"

Movie has some ridiculous lines!


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## BeyondTheNow

I have neither the knowledge nor experience to be able to critique anything negatively about the film in terms of combat, realism, etc. And of course, any knowledge I DO possess about the CAF role in A-stan is only through news/media, independent articles, friend's experiences and the like. 

I'm happy when there's attention brought to CDN roles in battle at any time, really. We're so inundated with the US and what they've done (even so much as taking credit for other country's successes in certain movie portrayals) during war that it's nice when someone takes the time to focus on Canada, fictional or otherwise.

I didn't particularly care for the acting on a few bit-parts here and there, but having gone to see it with civilians, it was nice being able to field the basic questions they had. Even so much as explaining simple things like uniform, rank, basic policy, terminology etc. Whatever draws interest, conversation, curiosity, etc is fine by me, regardless of whether the movie was liked overall or not.

I enjoyed it for the most part. But I absolutely understand those who may not have liked it/aren't interested in it, because they either lived it and/or can see too many instances of things that aren't realistic.


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## RedcapCrusader

I went to go see it on Friday and was sadly informed that it had been pulled from all but one theatre in Calgary because "...it didn't do very well..."


It's sad that the public apathy toward our Armed Forces plus American domination in the entertainment industry has once again forced Canadian content to die in a dark corner.

Not happy.


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## CBH99

LunchMeat,

I actually saw it at the movie theatre at CrossIron Mills last week.

I don't know if it was Canadian apathy, or the fact that most people I spoke to hadn't even heard of it.  

Obviously this "crowd" heard about it ages ago, and made a mental point that we would see it.  And the preview did play in theatres for quite some time, which helped.  But I hadn't seen a single TV ad for it - I don't know, maybe that's one of the reasons not many people went to go see it?

I kept telling people "it looked good" and "they should go check it out" - and 9 times out of 10, they hadn't even heard of it.  So I'm not sure it was a matter of apathy, or perhaps promoting it differently could have helped.


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## Humphrey Bogart

Canadians just aren't that interested in movies like this one and tbf there were a lot of A-Grade movies it had to compete with, The Martian, Hotel Transylvania and Sicario to name but a few.

Also, I know some folks here commented that they thought the film was good.  I'll go out and say that I thought it was just "ok".  The acting was meh for me and it reminded me more of a made for TV movie or straight to Netflix than a movie worthy of a theatrical release.

Gross just has a way of taking a serious subject and making it feel so hokey pokey.


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## BeyondTheNow

> ...But I hadn't seen a single TV ad for it - I don't know, maybe that's one of the reasons not many people went to go see it?...



Agreed. There wasn't very much advertising attributed to it at all. That may have helped it attract a larger audience. (_Passchendaele_ had more.) But I also wonder if budget played a factor in that. They simply may not have had the funds to drop into substantial advertising to help promote it.


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## Strike

I know that Paul Gross ended up delaying filming of the movie by more than a year because of lack of funding.  I think you might have hit the nail on the head.  The cost of advertising was just too much considering what he DID spend the money on, but that's okay too.  Maybe it will get picked up by Canadian proadcasters to get televised during Remembrance Week programming in future years.


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## Colin Parkinson

Best to use social media, cheap, fast and done right can spread far and wide.


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## Fishbone Jones

With it's new funding in the works, the CBC will take it over. It will go to TV format and we'll be supporting it with viewings and our tax dollars, at least, twice yearly.


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## Colin Parkinson

Worse things could happen, at least it's about our military and not a blue beret to be found.  ;D


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## bick

I saw Hyena Road last Friday with a buddy of mine who has been out for almost 20 years. We both enjoyed the movie even though there were a few goofy moments. Overall, a good film.


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## CombatDoc

I saw the movie and thought it was mostly ok. Gross certainly captured the feel of a FOB in Afghanistan, and interspersed shots that he took in the 'Stan when he visited during Roto 10. Some of it was a bit hokey, like the relationship between two of the characters (Capt and WO), as well as the Capt staying in theatre despite her medical issue. Interesting that General Rilmen is clearly modelled on BGen Milner (an anagram), including Gen Milner's unique style of speech.


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## Towards_the_gap

I'm trying to watch it now.....I'm sorry but it's terrible...


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## Cloud Cover

I watched it on the weekend. As far as war movies go, I thought it was good. I don't really care too much about what the technical and tactical deficiencies were, I think if a person pays attention to the story (and they really are high level stories) then the movie fits. 
Two things did make me laugh though (1) when Gross was at a FOB and casually walked in front of a 155 lighting off, and all he does is plug his ears! (2) the technical advisor in the film credits was none other than Carl Gustav. 

- it's true about the dates, no matter where in the world you eat them;
- there are some scenes where the direction and angle of the filming camera is clearly spray painted on the ground or road banks, most visible in the opening scenes where the kid gets smoked by the sniper. 

It would have been nice to see more of the LAV and the Leo's in the movie, just saying better bang for the buck  

I know there is a lot of bashing here about this movie, and I've got no right to say dick about that since I wasn't there, but I'm guessing it's probably the only non-documentary/cinema movie concerning Afghanistan that will ever be made that focuses (fictionally or not) on Canadian army characters. (Forget the made for TV series about the hospital). I'm giving Gross the respect for putting this together, he stood up when others look down or around. He's obviously got nothing but the highest regard for  the CAF, and some sort of fetish for acting in well tailored Canadian uniforms.


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## Old Sweat

Re your comment about Canadian content, how many of us who saw The Longest Day or read the book for that matter could find any mention of Canadians? I have not seen Hyena Road yet, and will after I get home. It is a fact of life. How many Canadian "bums in seats" can we muster compared to American and Brits?

And for the record, I knew his father well enough to use his nickname "Sir" when he was a squadron commander in the Strahconas in the mid-sixties.


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## Cloud Cover

Old Sweat, I get your point, but i do recall some ever so slight mention of Canadians in the movie "Longest Day" but no scenes. The book had more content and a respectable tribute to Canadian casualties and accomplishments on DDay. 
I'll go back to what I wrote earlier and clarify- this is the only large scale cinema movie that will probably ever be made about the CAF in Afghanistan. Fiction or not, technically accurate and realistic or not, it is good entertainment and (I think) casts the war as fought by Canada in a proper and respectful way- i.e. valiant, and politically pointless, which was essentially the running theme of the film project.  Of course it could have been more accurate and realistic, but this movie was not made to be a training video or a history lesson, it is just entertainment.  For that purpose, it makes no difference whether Gross has a beard, or whether his trigger finger is in the right place, or if rucksacks and clothing are too clean to be real. 
My guess is that it will be another generation and several more wars before another Canadian centric war flick is attempted at this scale.


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## Towards_the_gap

whiskey601 said:
			
		

> Old Sweat, I get your point, but i do recall some ever so slight mention of Canadians in the movie "Longest Day" but no scenes. The book had more content and a respectable tribute to Canadian casualties and accomplishments on DDay.
> I'll go back to what I wrote earlier and clarify- this is the only large scale cinema movie that will probably ever be made about the CAF in Afghanistan. Fiction or not, technically accurate and realistic or not, it is good entertainment and (I think) casts the war as fought by Canada in a proper and respectful way- i.e. valiant, and politically pointless, which was essentially the running theme of the film project.  Of course it could have been more accurate and realistic, but this movie was not made to be a training video or a history lesson, it is just entertainment.  For that purpose, it makes no difference whether Gross has a beard, or whether his trigger finger is in the right place, or if rucksacks and clothing are too clean to be real.
> My guess is that it will be another generation and several more wars before another Canadian centric war flick is attempted at this scale.



*spoiler alert*

I get your point but at the same time, I think he could have made a still-entertaining-yet-historically&factually-accurate movie. I mean, the one scene at the beginning where the sniper det shoots the IED (when did 66 C/S start using ANA CIED TTP's????) and all of a sudden 40 odd muj come streaming out of nowhere, I mean, come in, this is set in 2010, if the TB managed to muster that many dudes in one location they would have been type-2'd long before that whole scene could have taken place, I could go on but don't want to spoil the movie. Nevermind the supposed location was actually a real village which looked nothing like the mountainous area that was portrayed. I mean, you could probably count on 2 hands the number of 'mountains' in panjwai, the majority of it was flat grapefields/wadi's/regh desert.

How 'Carl Gustav' made it in the credits as Technical advisor is either a clever inside joke, which I wouldn't think Mr Gross would be in on, or whoever was the technical advisor for real saw the finished product, and said 'put down a nom-de-guerre for me, for OPSEC reasons' when the real reason was he wanted nothing to do with that claptrap.


----------



## jollyjacktar

When I look at what he's done and I compare it to what the Australian's do with their movies, there's no comparison.  For example, a recent Australian war movie is "Beneath Hill 60".  They took a real story, threw in the romance bit that happened (without drowning it in syrup) and told a compelling tale that was worthy of the men who lived it.

I just wish we could do a similar job ourselves.  As I said originally, it's not a total train wreck but it still leaves me with things to pick at as TtG has pointed out.  Civilians won't know the difference and I suppose that is the target audience.  It's just a shame, that's all.


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## Strike

Towards_the_gap said:
			
		

> How 'Carl Gustav' made it in the credits as Technical advisor is either a clever inside joke, which I wouldn't think Mr Gross would be in on, or whoever was the technical advisor for real saw the finished product, and said 'put down a nom-de-guerre for me, for OPSEC reasons' when the real reason was he wanted nothing to do with that claptrap.



Or, it's more likely that it was easier than naming the several dozen people that were involved at all levels, especially as none of them were members of CATSA (and they have some pretty weird rules when it comes to official credits beyond the 'Special Thanks to' section).  Keep in mind that actual CAF members and units played a pretty big part in the production.


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## George Wallace

Strike said:
			
		

> Towards_the_gap said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> How 'Carl Gustav' made it in the credits as Technical advisor is either a clever inside joke, which I wouldn't think Mr Gross would be in on, or whoever was the technical advisor for real saw the finished product, and said 'put down a nom-de-guerre for me, for OPSEC reasons' when the real reason was he wanted nothing to do with that claptrap.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Or, it's more likely that it was easier than naming the several dozen people that were involved at all levels, especially as none of them were members of CATSA (and they have some pretty weird rules when it comes to official credits beyond the 'Special Thanks to' section).  Keep in mind that actual CAF members and units played a pretty big part in the production.
Click to expand...


Or, it is a way to avoid Taxes.  It is not uncommon in the European film industry for some members of the crew to use pseudonyms instead of their real names, for tax purposes.


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## Fishbone Jones

Jerry Can would have been better than Carl Gustav, IMO. That's the nom de plume I use when signing into someplace I shouldn't be.


----------



## Cloud Cover

>When I look at what he's done and I compare it to what the Australian's do with their movies, there's no comparison.

- When it comes to things involving the military and/or documentation or retelling Australian military history, they always do a better job. They certainly ensured the execution more of their POW captors than we ever did, and they make damned certain it won't happen again. 

"The Odd Angry Shot", a Vietnam war flick, is a good Australian movie as well. Poor, tough Diggers, a nasty little bunch when they have to be. 

Cheers.


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## The Bread Guy

recceguy said:
			
		

> Jerry Can would have been better than Carl Gustav, IMO. That's the nom de plume I use when signing into someplace I shouldn't be.


Stopped signing in as Herman Nelson, then?


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## daftandbarmy

jollyjacktar said:
			
		

> When I look at what he's done and I compare it to what the Australian's do with their movies, there's no comparison.  For example, a recent Australian war movie is "Beneath Hill 60".  They took a real story, threw in the romance bit that happened (without drowning it in syrup) and told a compelling tale that was worthy of the men who lived it.
> 
> I just wish we could do a similar job ourselves.  As I said originally, it's not a total train wreck but it still leaves me with things to pick at as TtG has pointed out.  Civilians won't know the difference and I suppose that is the target audience.  It's just a shame, that's all.



So, kind of like 'Passchendaele' then, but better?


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## jollyjacktar

daftandbarmy said:
			
		

> So, kind of like 'Passchendaele' then, but better?



An example of what Passchendaele could have been like. Better?  Oh God, yes.  And there even was a Canadian connection in the story.


----------



## BeyondTheNow

I had said earlier that good or bad, I was happy that some sort of attention was being brought to Canadians since we're so inundated with American roles and portrayals during wartime, fictional or otherwise.

I came across this review today. The critic didn't like the movie (which is absolutely fine), but I liked how the views were expressed without being cutting/insulting to Gross's endeavours.



> http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-capsule-hyena-road-review-20160311-story.html


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## Leeworthy

whiskey601 said:
			
		

> I watched it on the weekend. As far as war movies go, I thought it was good. I don't really care too much about what the technical and tactical deficiencies were, I think if a person pays attention to the story (and they really are high level stories) then the movie fits.
> *Two things did make me laugh though (1) when Gross was at a FOB and casually walked in front of a 155 lighting off, and all he does is plug his ears! (2) the technical advisor in the film credits was none other than Carl Gustav. *
> - it's true about the dates, no matter where in the world you eat them;
> - there are some scenes where the direction and angle of the filming camera is clearly spray painted on the ground or road banks, most visible in the opening scenes where the kid gets smoked by the sniper.
> 
> It would have been nice to see more of the LAV and the Leo's in the movie, just saying better bang for the buck
> 
> I know there is a lot of bashing here about this movie, and I've got no right to say dick about that since I wasn't there, but I'm guessing it's probably the only non-documentary/cinema movie concerning Afghanistan that will ever be made that focuses (fictionally or not) on Canadian army characters. (Forget the made for TV series about the hospital). I'm giving Gross the respect for putting this together, he stood up when others look down or around. He's obviously got nothing but the highest regard for  the CAF, and some sort of fetish for acting in well tailored Canadian uniforms.



Its funny you mention that. I watched the movie, and the first thing I said to my wife was, who the hell does that?


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## northernguy

Sorry to dredge this thread up, but I wanted to ask you guys..

2 things that bugged me with the film (besides the creepy M777 euphemism).

1.  If you're making a movie showcasing the Cdn Forces, why have one of your main characters using a Brooklyn accent??

2.  Do Canadian military really go around saying 'Outstanding!' like US marines??

I'm sure there was a lot wrong with the movie, but even as a civilian I was annoyed by this..


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## George Wallace

Well.  Yes they do use the word "outstanding", but it is usually following an expletive.   [


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## Loachman

northernguy said:
			
		

> 2.  Do Canadian military really go around saying 'Outstanding!' like US marines??



No.

I almost did while responding in another thread seconds ago, though, just because you asked that.

A Canadian Int Officer, at least an Army one, would not describe himself as "Intel" either.


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## northernguy

> A Canadian Int Officer, at least an Army one, would not describe himself as "Intel" either.



What would they, then?


----------



## George Wallace

Loachman said:
			
		

> A Canadian Int Officer, at least an Army one, would not describe himself as "Intel" either.


----------



## OldSolduer

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Well.  Yes they do use the word "outstanding", but it is usually following an expletive.   [



Like as in "outf8ckingstanding" - at least that's what I use.


----------



## Good2Golf

I'm with Hamish...and usually preceded with, "awwww grrrreat......"

North, Canadians just say "Int."


----------



## northernguy

Thanks..


----------



## The Bread Guy

George Wallace said:
			
		

> Well.  Yes they do use the word "outstanding", but it is usually following an expletive.   [


Or as an ironic/sarcastic homage to this ...


----------



## Retired AF Guy

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> I'm with Hamish...and usually preceded with, "awwww grrrreat......"
> 
> North, Canadians just say "Int."



Unless you are Air Force.


----------



## Castus

Earlier on in the thread, the film Kandahar Journals was mentioned a few times. I've researched it, but it's unclear as to whether it is available for general release yet.

Does anyone have any info about how we can see this? Looks pretty decent.


----------



## Franko

Ungh ....recently watched this tripe called Hyena Road.

Thankfully I didn't waste one cent on it.

Rubbish. Should have known his M.O. from his previous work, Paachendale.


----------



## cjr

In case anyone is still interested, Hyena Road is now on the Canadian Netflix.


----------



## Infanteer

...and it is still terrible....


----------



## SeaKingTacco

Infanteer said:
			
		

> ...and it is still terrible....



I was curious and watched it on netflix.

Given how bad the reviews were here, I actually thought it was reasonably good.

It certainly wasn't a documentary. But I didn't expect it to be, either.


----------



## dimsum

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> I was curious and watched it on netflix.
> 
> Given how bad the reviews were here, I actually thought it was reasonably good.
> 
> It certainly wasn't a documentary. But I didn't expect it to be, either.



The best part was the file footage of KAF.  I practically smelled the poo pond in that scene.

Taking the plunge and showing it to the S/O tonight.  I'm actually quite curious to see her reaction, knowing very little about the military.


----------



## Infanteer

Well, I'm hoping she doesn't think Snipers calling fire on their own position through the Company 2IC whom they knocked up is the norm....

It could have conveyed a lot of the experience over there, but instead went for the crappy hollywood drama approach.


----------



## SeaKingTacco

Infanteer said:
			
		

> Well, I'm hoping she doesn't think Snipers calling fire on their own position through the Company 2IC whom they knocked up is the norm....
> 
> It could have conveyed a lot of the experience over there, but instead went for the crappy hollywood drama approach.



Well, nothing would actually surprise me anymore.  

After Paschendale, I learned to expect/ignore Paul Grosse's "romantic" touch. I thought, like Dimsum, that cutting stock footage with the actor footage was pretty seamlessly done. 

I also thought it had some funny moments that reasonably approximated soldier humour.


----------



## daftandbarmy

Dimsum said:
			
		

> The best part was the file footage of KAF.  I practically smelled the poo pond in that scene.



Infantry fragrances are always a big turn on. Pass the 'Essence de Napalm'


----------



## Cloud Cover

SeaKingTacco said:
			
		

> I also thought it had some funny moments that reasonably approximated soldier humour.


Taking a dump in the bag was good, I’ve seen guys resealing (folding) chop sewey imp and leaving then with a sweet cookie pack and maybe a bottle of water in a ditch or maybe a grape seed hut.


----------



## blacktriangle

I got through about the first 10 minutes of it on Netflix after seeing this thread. Not my thing. I'm watching Allied now instead.


----------



## AbdullahD

My wife and I are watching it, since we know nothing.. a lot of these critiques we miss and we are enjoying.

It is nice seeing a show based on canadians soldiers.. even if it has flaws.

Abdullah


----------



## Downhiller229

Come on guys, it’s not amazing but it’s not nearly as bad as I was expecting after reading this thread. It’s hard to really convey real military experiences in a movie, I thought that overall, despite the cringy relationship and ending that it was not horrible.


----------



## fake penguin

I was disappointed  with the movie after reading the title

I thought it was going to be about the struggles of the road and what soldiers went through when he was there

I get it, there was a story about Afghanistan he wanted to tell. It just I was hoping for something different


----------



## Strike

Mentioned it before but worth bringing up again - I have a friend who was ANA and has now settled in Canada. He said the movie represented some of the issues of the country quite well with the double dealing and such.  He liked the movie, romantic storyline aside.


----------



## Journeyman

Infanteer said:
			
		

> Well, I'm hoping she doesn't think Snipers calling fire on their own position through the Company 2IC whom they knocked up is the norm....


Shame I missed that bit;  I also gave up after about 10 minutes.   :

I think Paul Gross peaked with "Men With Brooms."


----------



## garb811

Journeyman said:
			
		

> Shame I missed that bit;  I also gave up after about 10 minutes.   :
> 
> I think Paul Gross peaked with "Men With Brooms."


And I'm sure on curling.ca they are bitching and moaning about what a gross misrepresentation of their sport that movie was as well.  :nod:


----------



## Journeyman

garb811 said:
			
		

> And I'm sure on curling.ca they are bitching and moaning about what a gross misrepresentation of their sport that movie was as well.  :nod:


Still, it's one of three movies I used to 'explain' Canada to an American (from south of the Mason-Dixon line).  One other was "Bon Cop Bad Cop."  I forget the third, but I vaguely recall Molly Parker may have had something to do with it.  :dunno:

After watching all three, her judgement was "I knew all that 'goody two-shoes' was BS;  you Canadians are just as f*cked up as everyone else."  

Obviously, I'd made my point.   :nod:


----------



## Good2Golf

‘Bon Cop, Bad Cop’ was a pretty good flick!


----------



## Downhiller229

Good2Golf said:
			
		

> ‘Bon Cop, Bad Cop’ was a pretty good flick!



Unless you’re an OPP member, they probably think it’s garbage. How dare the producers not completely replicate the painful bureaucracy of interprovincial investigations!


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