Hyena Road

I have several criticisms of “Hyena Road”, the Canadian military drama by Paul Gross. In my opinion there are a number of missteps along the way, but this is nonetheless a good film. While in the theatre viewing it I had a lot of mental back-and-forth going on. I’m going to metaphorically throw it all up in the air and see where the criticisms and glow points fall.

“Hyena Road” is the name of a road that’s being cut deep into Afghanistan to allow mobility of Canadian troops, a project that the local extremists are not too pleased about. Along this road we follow three major characters, whose stories intertwine with each other. Captain Pete Mitchell (Paul Gross), Warrant Officer Ryan Sanders (Rossif Sutherland) and a mysterious Mujahideen tribal leader known as “The Wolf” (Aqqalu Meekis) all face common enemies and difficult moral dilemmas when they encounter the Taliban directly.

The best element of this film is its easily identifiable authenticity. At first, I didn’t really know what to make of some characters, such as an army higher-up with an extremely vulgar mouth. He drops more F bombs than give out actual military orders. As a Canadian, I was upset at first to see him and other soldiers behave unprofessionally. There are dozens of films where the U.S. troops are shown as brave knights that manage to take down dozens of opponents without taking even a single hit. I’m not saying they’re necessarily realistic, but you don’t have to look far to find a favorable picture of them, and these are the colours with which our army is drawn? But hold on. As the movie progressed I noticed that these imperfect portrayals actually served the film well. I instantly recognized that vulgar man. I got attached to the characters that goofed off because they felt like real people. Combine that with the attention to detail present and it’s obvious that Paul Gross knew what he was doing when he decided to choose this actor, or that little bit of dialogue to move the plot forward. Even in the way the film is cast you can see the authenticity, as there are several visual minorities and women peppered throughout the film, and not just in the background. I’m not just talking about the Afghans either.

The technical accuracy of the film works, but sometimes it doesn’t. If you’re not familiar with technical jargon and expressions, sometimes you’ll simply be at a loss. I think this is an instance where the director (who also stars and wrote the film) might be too close, and too in love with the armed forces because sometimes I just had to throw my hands up in the air and give up on trying to understand what was being said. Then again, as a civilian it does help me appreciate the hard work that these combatants are doing when I get to see all of the complicated steps or decisions, so is it really a flaw? Technically this is a polished-looking film. Decent performances, good special effects, convincing pyrotechnics and the firefights rival those of any good (and much bigger budgeted Hollywood film) Perhaps it is leaning towards jingoistic at times, but it did give me a sense of pride in the Canadian forces (not that you would have to be from this country specifically to feel so) It’s because for all their flaws/moments of letting loose, these are professionals that take their job seriously and are in their line of work to make a difference for the better. That’s clear.

As I said, the characters are interesting people that you want to follow and when they are put in peril, or when they make a decision that you think will jeopardize their safety, you’re worried. I also found some parts of “Hyena Road” to be awfully clichéd. The way that Warrant Officer Ryan’s story plays out, particularly regarding his relationship with fellow officer Jennifer Bowman (Christine Horne)… you can see it coming a mile away. In fact there are a lot of plot developments and even some entire scenes (such as the opener which is very reminiscent of “American Sniper”) that feel lifted out of dozens of other war movies, stories you will be familiar with if you are drawn to this Canadian film.

“Hyena Road” is a miscellany of war story elements. Sometimes it’s for the better, at times not. Despite the faults (some of which are undeniable) there is a lot of love for the material present here. The affection is tangible and contagious. While fully recognizing those faults, they never overpowered the picture. If you saw the trailers for “Hyena Road” and as a military enthusiast you were interested, you’ll be pleased. (Theatrical version on the big screen, October 29, 2015)