Well made and fairly watchable film, despite the absence of any combat action or visible enemy. What is surprising is the great accolade the film has received among IMDb reviewers for it's insight and statement, I think it's undeserved. A anti-war film? And so what, when the last time you saw a serious pro-war film? If that's one's criteria for declaring a film great then this is the non-action war film to watch. The writer/director has said he was unhappy with the way the war was being portrayed by the mainstream media. If the U.K. media is anything like the U.S. mainstream media, which has taken a non supportive view of the war in the middle east for the longest time (thou they are less vocal about it since the current President took office) then I'm not sure why the filmmaker is concerned. Though if radical Islamic groups ever decide to look for a jihadist propaganda film they need look no further than The Patrol, with it's "this is not your war" message written all over it. Again, from an American perspective, soldiers fighting this war experience fear and frustration among many other things, but generally speaking they recognize the enemy for what it is, and continue to fight because Islamic terror against the U.S began long before 9/11 and will not end until it is defeated. The characters in The Patrol stop fighting and abandon the war, but to be true to reality the film should acknowledge how Al Queda, the Taliban, and others would gladly follow them home and continue their slaughter. Though politicians try to hobble the military, it does not prevent soldiers from conducting themselves like the professionals that they are.

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!

My boyfriend persuaded me to go along and see this and I'm very pleased we did. It's a beautifully shot piece of independent cinema with a thought provoking storyline brought to life very well by the cast. It's the first film I have seen about UK soldiers on the frontline in Afghanistan which gave it a very unique angle. While clearly not having the budget of the Hurt Locker i can see why parallels have been drawn as it draws you into the emotions, stress and pressure of being in a war zone. I also loved that it doesn't have an agenda (maybe unlike the previous reviewer?!). Would definitely recommend to anyone who enjoys independent cinema and who is interested in a soldier's view of the conflict. Very enjoyable.

I suppose if your experience is limited to veteran level on Call of Duty or Michael Bay films then this probably isn't your cup of tea.I saw this film in Brighton recently, and was very impressed given the limited budget. Combat is 98% boredom and 2% sheer terror, and this film didn't try to make out that war is anything other than that, along with soldiers bitching about their kit and conditions, and the inevitable stress and tension between fighting men, particularly when the enemy is elusive and rarely clearly seen.Judging by other reviews, one might be forgiven for thinking that war is an entertainment franchise. Nice to see a war film directed by a former soldier with a grounding in the realities of combat, rather than some fist-pumping gung-ho CGI-fest directed by a Hollywood celebrity with a massive budget and zero experience of the realities of war.Something of an antidote to the usual war film cheerleading, and not one to appeal to MMRPG playing geeks.