Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
During the United States' 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan, a group of female soldiers posing as medical relief are sent back in to rescue a group of kidnapped teenagers caught between ISIS and the Taliban.
Dirty Angels takes a timely and emotionally charged premise — the 2021 US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the fate of vulnerable women and girls — but executes it in a fairly formulaic action-thriller mold. The plot hits familiar rescue-mission beats without much subversion or depth, and character development is thin across the board. Acting is competent but unremarkable, with the ensemble rarely elevating the generic material. Cinematography shows some gritty, location-grounded competence that gives the film visual credibility even if it doesn't distinguish itself stylistically. The premise and female-soldier angle lend it modest novelty within the war genre, touching on real historical urgency that sets it slightly apart from standard military fare. The ending resolves in a predictable, workmanlike fashion without much dramatic payoff or resonance.