Such a frustrating disappointment

Powerful

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

08/11/2018 Far better than I had hoped for. Easy to follow storyline, immersion by viewer happens early and as the story unfolds you'll become more and more part of the movie. That's what great movies do and this is one of them. Watch for yourself and decide. Bon Appetit

This is an outstanding war film. As others have commented, it examines the Afghanistan conflict in a particularly Canadian way --- which means that each character has a distinct point of view and a unique place in the world. The film makes clear not only that each understands his/her situation differently, but also that each viewpoint merits the full weight of our attention and consideration. Both the nobility of sacrifice and the utter senselessness of war are captured. There have been many well-made recent films about our current conflict with the Islamic world. This is certainly one of the best of them.

Am trying to figure out how "1000 true stories" became "Hyena Road"? Can somebody tell me the connection between the two please? Maybe there is some obscure book of this title out there some where that may not even be a war book . Paul Gross would probably be the best person to answer this question as he is listed as screen writer. But seriously I would welcome any discussion as above. The movie was very good as very few Canadian movies about the war have been produced. It is noted that most of the actors were Canadians and parts of the movie filmed in Manitoba on a military base. The rest was filmed in Jordan. Paul Gross sure had his hands full as he starred, produced and wrote the screenplay.

"Passchendaele" actor & director Paul Gross' Canuck military actioneer set in Afghanistan "Hyena Road" is an above-average combat movie with sturdy performances, solid production values, but its standard-issue message that 'war is hell' is its only drawback. Donald Sutherland's son Rossif Sutherland plays Ryan Sanders, an officer in charge of a team of snipers while Paul Gross casts himself intelligence officer Pete Mitchell. Sanders believes that one shot can make the difference, but Mitchell has a more cynical attitude to warfare. Everything revolves around a high ranking officer's decision to build a road through the Kandahar Province. The first scene, where Sanders and his team drill a Taliban fighter who is trying to booby-trap a road, is riveting stuff. After they perforate the Taliban fighter, the poor slobs slumps down into a kneeling, prayer-like position. As our guys withdraw, they notice some curious looking spots on part of the paved highway running through the barren desert setting. Sanders orders a sniper to shoot at the spots, but nothing happens. When the sniper fires an incendiary round, the entire terrain vanishes in a huge explosion. Sanders and his team scramble out of the area and soon find themselves pursued hotly by several Taliban fighters wielding AK-47 assault rifles. Our heroes make it to the refuge of a house after a Taliban with an RPG accidentally blasts a hole into a doorway in the wall surrounding the house. According to Sanders' description of the man in the room with them where they hole up, the individual sounds like a legendary freedom fighter known as 'the Ghost.' Meanwhile, back at headquarters, Mitchell listens intently to Sanders as he describes their benefactor, and Mitchell is convinced that this is the same native who help oust the Soviets from Afghanistan. Mitchell wants to recruit the Afghanistan man to the cause. At the same time, few know Sanders has been having a secret romance with a headquarters communications officer Jennifer (Christine Horne of "Survival Code") who fears that the brass will learn about their romance and cashier her. Jennifer and Ryan agree to keep their affair off the grid. The conflict intensifies not only when Jennifer discovers that she is pregnant with Sanders' child, but also when Sanders plunges back into the desert to kill more enemy. The violence is sporadic, but graphic. Heads are shot off and drenched with gore. Comparisons between "Hyena Road" and Clint Eastwood's "American Sniper" are inevitable. Nevertheless, despite its romantic subplot, this is a movie worth watching with a downbeat finale.