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Gerard Butler’s underrated action thriller Kandahar hits Netflix
Gerard Butler—long associated with blockbusters like 300 and Olympus Has Fallen—saw one of his more low-key, globe-trotting action films get a second life on streaming. Kandahar, the 2023 conspiracy thriller in which Butler stars with Tom Rhys Harries and Farhad Bagheri, is now available on Netflix as of August 8. After a period of free streaming on ad-supported platforms, the movie’s arrival on a major subscription service is a notable push for the film and an opportunity for new audiences to discover it.
Plot summary: a tense escape and a shadowy mission
Kandahar follows a CIA operative and his Afghan translator who are forced to flee through hostile territory after uncovering a covert mission that powerful factions want buried. The story blends espionage, survival-thriller beats, and political intrigue as the pair race to expose the truth while hunted by special forces. The film leans heavily on claustrophobic set pieces and tense chases that will appeal to fans of modern action and political thrillers.
Cast and crew: familiar collaborators and rising faces
The movie is led by Gerard Butler alongside Tom Rhys Harries and Farhad Bagheri, with a supporting ensemble that underscores the film’s international scope. Mitchell LaFortune penned the screenplay, and director Ric Roman Waugh—who previously worked with Butler on Angel Has Fallen—steered the production. That creative team links Kandahar to Butler’s other action projects and to upcoming sequels like Greenland: Migration, which LaFortune is also writing and Waugh will direct.
Notable names and later projects
Butler continues to be prolific on the action circuit: he appears in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera and stars as Stoick in the live-action How to Train Your Dragon adaptation. His continued collaboration with Waugh and screenwriters like LaFortune positions him for more big-screen tentpoles and streaming releases.
Production details
Shot with a focus on gritty realism, Kandahar trades large-scale spectacle for tense, grounded moments. Budget figures weren’t widely publicized, but the movie grossed under $10 million at the box office. Despite modest theatrical returns, the film’s production values—tight editing, decisive action choreography, and location-driven cinematography—make it a solid recommendation for fans of grounded action cinema.
Critical reception and audience response
Critics were mixed: Kandahar holds a 45% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, reflecting divided reviews on its plotting and pacing. Audiences have been kinder—community-driven metrics like Popcornmeter placed it much higher, around 82%—suggesting the movie resonates with viewers who favor character-led thrills and geopolitical stakes. In short: it’s a polarizing film that many action fans defend and some critics find uneven.
Personal take: why Kandahar deserves another look
For cinephiles who hunt down underrated action and political thrillers, Kandahar is worth a streaming session. It may not reinvent the genre, but Butler’s presence, a propulsive lead performance from his co-stars, and Waugh’s steady direction combine into a satisfying hour-and-a-half-of-tension experience. With the Netflix boost, the film now has a chance to build a broader audience—maybe even the fanbase loud enough to demand a sequel.
Alongside Kandahar, Netflix has also added Butler’s 2016 fantasy epic Gods of Egypt, giving fans easy access to both his mythic and modern-action work. Keep an eye on streaming catalogs for more updates as Butler’s Greenland: Migration and other projects continue to roll toward release.
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