First Post-9/11 War Movie Goes Into Production

New project looks at a Special Forces Team that went low-tech to accomplish its mission in Afghanistan:

Columbia Pictures and studio-based producer Mace Neufeld have teamed on an untitled project revolving around a real-life U.S. takeover of an Afghanistan city that was accomplished through a cavalry battle.

The true story began shortly after Sept. 11, 2001, when the United States sent several 12-man Special Forces Alpha Teams to liaise with the Northern Alliance forces in preparation for their attack on the Taliban.

The feature film will focus on one such team that was sent to Afghanistan and ordered to take over the city of Mazar E Sharif within six months. The soldiers not only completed their task in two weeks but did so in a cavalry-style battle since such modern equipment as tanks and jeeps could not be used because of the location and terrain of the city. Retrained to fight in a more archaic way than they were used to, the soldiers fought their way to victory on horseback, using only their communications gear and weapons.

The idea for the film was brought to Neufeld by actor James Cromwell, who starred in such Neufeld-produced films as “The Sum of All Fears” and “The General’s Daughter.” Cromwell heard of the story from his friend Gershon Weltman, who works in the defense industry developing training simulations for the U.S. military.

With bin Laden apparently still at large, apprehension rising regarding inevitable war in Iraq and the heightenend possibility of another terrorist attack on America, the country can use a reminder of how much has BEEN ACCOMPLISHED, and what a triumph were our efforts in Afghanistan (there were screw-ups, but there are ALWAYS screw-ups – these are people, remember?). Too bad the lead time for a feature film is so long: we could use the morale lift now.