Review:  Drama becomes a casualty in war film ‘Hyena Road’ because of its documentary format

The stripped-down authenticity sought by “Hyena Road,” a drama about Canadian troops stationed in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, proves to be a double-edged sword — while the attempt at a certain, documentary-style naturalism is honorable, it’s at the expense of focused plotting and sufficient character development.

Paul Gross, the film’s writer and director, also plays Pete Mitchell, a no-nonsense but gregarious intelligence officer who’s eager to track down a potentially helpful, enigmatic Afghan elder with one brown eye and one blue eye known as “The Ghost” (Niamatullah Arghandabi).

Assisting him in navigating the tricky geographical and political Afghan terrain are Ryan (Rossif Sutherland, Kiefer’s half-brother), a seasoned sniper, and his commanding officer (Christine Horne), who finds out she’s pregnant with Sutherland’s child.

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While the visually immersive production, shot in Jordan and Manitoba, Canada, is strikingly photographed by Karim Hussain, it fails to successfully distinguish itself from a number of similarly realistic, morally conflicted desert war movies, from Nick Brownfield’s impressive but little seen “Battle for Haditha” to “The Hurt Locker” and “American Sniper.”

Despite those noble intentions, Gross, who also wrote, directed and starred in the 2008 World War I drama “Passchendaele,” is ultimately unable to satisfy the rules of dramatic engagement.

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“Hyena Road”

MPAA rating: R, for war violence, language throughout and some sexual material.

Running time: 2 hours.

Playing: Laemmle’s Monica Film Center, Santa Monica.