Bloodtype Online
For the best of the Horror/Cult/Exploitation film experience
Afghan Knights (2007)
Afghan Knights opens with a story about how in the 1930's Stalin waged war against Mongolia. His men raided and destroyed the Shank Monastery looking for the sacred arrows that are said to house the souls of Genghis Kahn and his blood brother Jamuga. It is said that whoever possesses these arrows will have supernatural powers.
This is not just your average war movie. It is about Ex-Navy Seals who are now private contractors to the highest bidder, in this case the highest bidder is an Afghanistan war lord named Ahmad (Francesco Quinn, Platoon) who is looking to be safely transported out of Afghanistan across the forbidden border into Pakistan. He is willing to pay $150,000 each upon his arrival. CIA operative Cooper ( Michael Madsen, Reservoir Dogs) agrees to the evacuation. He has just the person in mind for the job. Sgt. Pepper, (Steve Bacic, Masters of Horror series) is a washed up drunk who has flashbacks of his last mission in Afghanistan were his brother-in-law was takes prisoner and left for dead.
Cooper assures him that it will be a simple three day transport mission and an easy paycheck . Pepper agrees to do the job. He will lead a combat team of four mercenaries across the border into Afghanistan then back into Pakistan undetected. When they arrive, Cooper informs them that Nash (Gary Stretch, World Trade Center) a former British SAS soldier will be joining them. Stopping to take a piss, Nash wonders off into the hills. Looking for him, the team finds themselves under attack from a CIA plane and takes cover in a cave. When the entrance is blocked by falling rocks they are forced deep into the darkness of the cave.
Off in the distance, a figure appears in the little bit of light that the cave has. As it comes closer , Pepper realizes that it is his comrade Jonathan (Chris Kramer, The Dead Zone) that was lost and left for dead a year ago . Jonathan re-unites with his old teammates telling them that he was captured and beaten by french rebels before they sold him to the Taliban to use as propaganda. He tells them that he escaped to the caves to regain his strength and has been there since. Ahmad tells them that the land is haunted by those who fought and were killed there. He tells them that it dates back to Genghis Kahn and even further back to Jesus Christ. The men didn’t believe him until the next morning when one of them didn’t wake up. They see that his liver has been cut out and eaten the way the mongols used to do. From that point on it was one after another, falling to what appears to be the ghosts of ancient Mongolian warriors.
Still leery about the true reason Nash was add to team at the last minute, Sgt. Pepper notices that he won’t part with his pack. When he removes it, he finds two 13th century arrows in his pack and realizes that Cooper had an ulterior motive behind the rescue mission. He wanted the sacred arrows that housed the souls of Genghis Kahn and his blood brother Jamuga. Jonathan tells Pepper that he has be chosen by Kahn himself, that’s why the others had to die, that’s why he was brought back to be re-united with him.
Afghan Knights is full of action and suspense. Though the suspense doesn’t come until the very end when the team starts depleting. I thought the concept was a neat idea using modern day commandos being haunted but the spirits of Genghis Kahn and his 13th century Mongolian warriors. It wasn’t bad though the acting was kind of cheesy. I’d watch it again.
Rating - **
-Jim Cain
