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Gerard Butler’s all-new action thriller film, Kandahar is all set to arrive this May. The 300 star is almost synonymous with the action genre and is best known for giving his fans a high-octane, blood-pumping movie experience. The actor is also popular for playing undercover agents and slick operatives. After his latest thriller film, Plane, by Jean-François Richet, released this January, Butler will now be seen in Kandahar, where he stars as the protagonist, Tom Harris, a CIA operative.
The plot follows Harris, and his translator friend, who is on the run from special forces in Afghanistan, after they expose a covert mission. The film is directed by Ric Roman Waugh, who had also previously directed Angel Has Fallen, the third installment in the Has Fallen series, as well as 2020’s Greenland, and is set to write and direct the fourth one. So, Kandahar also marks a reunion for Waugh and Butler.
Kandahar is written by former military intelligence officer Mitchell LaFortune and is said to be based on his experiences with the Defense Intelligence Agency when he was deployed in Afghanistan during the Snowden leaks in 2013. The action thriller also stars Vikings star Travis Fimmel as Harris’s friend/handler, along with Navid Negahban, Ali Fazal, Bahador Foladi, Nina Toussaint-White, Vassilis Koukalani, Mark Arnold, and Corey Johnson, in various roles. Butler also serves as a producer on the project.
For fans of speedy actions and political thrillers, and Butler, or both in the same plot, Kandahar might satisfy your need for an edge-of-the-seat thriller. Here’s how, when, and where you can watch Kandahar.
Editor's Note: This piece was updated on July 22, 2023.
Kandahar
A CIA operative and his translator flee from special forces in Afghanistan after exposing a covert mission.
- Release Date
- May 26, 2023
- Director
- Ric Roman Waugh
- Cast
- Gerard Butler , Navid Negahban , Ali Fazal , Nina Toussaint-White
- Runtime
- 119 minutes
- Main Genre
- Thriller
Is Kandahar Available on VOD?
Yes, Kandahar is now available to purchase on demand. You can use the links below to find the action film on the platform of your choice.
Is Kandahar Available on Streaming?
There is no update on the streaming release date for Kandahar at the moment. A couple of other Open Road Films’ projects like Liam Neeson’s Memory and Honest Thief are currently streaming on Prime Video, while another Butler film, Copshop, is streaming on Peacock. So, it’s likely that this new film will also find a streaming home sometime soon. Watch this watch for the streaming release date of Kandahar.
When Did Kandahar Come Out?
Open Road Films released Kandahar on Friday, May 26, 2023, in theaters nationwide. The movie opened beside other much-awaited movies like The Machine, About My Father, and Disney’s The Little Mermaid.
Collider hosted an early screening of the film in Beverly Hills on May 22, which included a Q&A with the filmmaker Ric Roman Raugh.
Is Kandahar Available on Blu-ray and DVD?
Yes, Kandahar was recently released on Blu-ray and DVD. You can use the links below to find the film at your preferred retailer.
Is Kandahar Still in Theaters?
No, Kandahar is no longer playing in movie theaters and is only available to watch at home and on demand.
Watch the Kandahar Trailer
The first official trailer of Kandahar, released in February 2023 sees the protagonist, Harris, on a dangerous mission in Afghanistan, where he is sent to destroy the enemy’s “nuclear program”. Soon, things start to get out of hand for Harris when news breaks about an insider revealing his identity.
So, without further ado, Harris and his translator friend, played by Negahban, have to destroy all evidence and leave their safe house. But traversing “400 miles” of the hostile landscape in “30 hours” is not an easy job. To make it worse, as we see in the trailer, there is a slew of bounty hunters on their tails who would stop at nothing to lay their hands on these high-priced bounties.
Set in the backdrop of the expansive desert region of Kandahar, the action thriller movie is also visually interesting, with cinematic frames of sunsets, car chases along the dusty, arid land, and explosions. The setting of the film is also reminiscent of other war and action thrillers set in Afghanistan, like Jarhead 2: Field of Fire, or The Kill Team.
What Is Kandahar About?
Kandahar, derived from LaFortune’s script, follows an undercover CIA operative, Tom Harris, deep in cover in the bellies of hostile territory in Afghanistan. After an intelligence leak blows his cover and his identity and life are threatened, Harris, with the help of his local translator, must find and fight his way out while dodging elite special forces who would hunt him and his friend down at any cost.
Other Gerard Butler Action Thrillers You Can Watch Right Now
In his acting career spanning three decades and still counting, Butler has come to be recognized as an “action star.” From the historical epic action film 300 to the latest, Kandahar, the Scottish actor and film producer, has explored a long list of films in the genre.
Although his movies have mostly leaned towards action thrillers, there are exceptions to his portfolio where you see the actor shed his hard-hitting, gritty gunman persona and become an endearing, charming hero in romantic comedy dramas like The Ugly Truth and P.S. I Love You, to even voicing for the hit animated film series, How to Train Your Dragon. Check out some of Butler’s best performances below.
The Phantom of the Opera (2004) - As surprising as it may sound and lesser known to many, Butler played Erik, the Phantom, in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s eponymous musical of 1986. It is based on the 1910 French novel, Le Fantôme de l'Opéra by Gaston Leroux. The Phantom of the Opera follows a disfigured and masked musical genius, Erik, who lives in the Paris Opera House. Erik falls in love and becomes obsessed with a young soprano, Christine Daaé. But Erik’s love turns into a murderous rage when Christine develops romantic feelings for her childhood sweetheart, Raoul de Chagny, and he starts haunting her. The musical romantic drama film was both a critical and commercial success and received several nominations at the Academy Awards. Directed by Joel Schumacher, The Phantom of the Opera also stars Emmy Rossum and Patrick Wilson as Christine and Raoul, respectively.
300 (2007) - Although Butler starred in several movies prior to 300, this historical epic film saw him in his breakthrough, first award-winning role as the Spartan king Leonidas. A fictionalized retelling of the Greco-Persian wars, the film is based on the eponymous comic book series by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley, and directed and co-written by Zack Snyder. The film’s story focuses on Leonidas and his leadership as he leads a minimalistic army of 300 Spartans in a battle against the Persian ruler, Xerses, and his massive army of 300,000 soldiers. Simultaneously, the film also explores his relationship with his wife, Queen Gorgo, and her support for her husband. A sequel to the film, 300: Rise of an Empire, was released in 2014, based on Miller’s unpublished graphic novel, Xerxes. On its release, 300 became a massive box office success, nationally and globally, and earned critical acclaim for stunning visuals and grand action pieces.
The Ugly Truth (2009) - There’s more to Butler’s acting repertoire than gun-slinging action and chasing bad people. The fact is he can be a charming, funny guy next door is well proven in this 2009 romantic comedy movie. Co-starring Katherine Heigl, The Ugly Truth follows Abigail “Abby” Richter, a lovelorn, romantically challenged morning show producer and her chauvinist, arrogant colleague and TV correspondent, Mike Chadway. When Mike’s show segment on modern relationships offends Abby and her beliefs in love, she strikes a deal with him to prove that his beliefs on “what men want” are outright wrong. Despite the lukewarm reviews of the movie, The Ugly Truth makes for a fun watch, mostly to see Butler in a refreshing, funny, and easygoing role.