In the days and months following the Sept 11 attacks, a small US Special Forces unit led an offensive against the Taleban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. They worked in harsh conditions alongside a local warlord and his men, an uneasy alliance at best, and, even with all the technology and money of the US military, executed the successful mission largely on horseback.The operation — Task Force Dagger — was classified for years and explored later in Doug Stanton’s 2009 book “Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan”. It provides the basis for “12 Strong”, a long-in-the-works adaptation from producer Jerry Bruckheimer (“Black Hawk Down”) and director Nicolai Fuglsig, a Danish photojournalist who has shot the War in Kosovo, a Levi’s short film, and a Coca-Cola spot in his eclectic career.Films about US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan have a somewhat dicey track record. They can veer from too sentimental to too macho and bloviating depending on who’s in front of and behind the camera. But “12 Strong” is, while perhaps not the deepest entry, a very solid movie with an engaging story, script and cast led by Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth.Only slightly camouflaged behind a modern haircut and some manicured stubble, Hemsworth is Capt Mitch Nelson, who is on leave with his young daughter and wife (played by his real-life spouse Elsa Pataky) but springs into action at the sight of the World Trade Center falling on the news. He raises his hand to assemble a team and get over to Afghanistan as soon as possible.Before that happens, however, we must sit through another obligatory farewell-to-the-families sequence to remind us that many of these guys have wives and children to get back to — some of whom are withholding sex as incentive for a quick homecoming and others who couldn’t be any crueler to a member of their family whom they very well might never see again. (There must be a way to make these scenes feel less rote.)It’s when the men get to the Middle East that the film becomes truly gripping, thanks to an ominous score, a hair-raising helicopter ride that rivals moments in Kathryn Bigelow’s “Zero Dark Thirty”, and the inherent tension of a mission that, as Nelson puts it, has no playbook. Their task is to meet up with Gen Abdul Rashid Dostum (an excellent Navid Negahban) who may be equally motivated to fight the Taleban if properly persuaded.Dostum and Nelson form a tenuous bond that is tested throughout the film, as they trade the shield of modern technology for horses and mules to cross the treacherous landscape (New Mexico plays Afghanistan here). The action sequences are riveting, if a little numbing at times, and their evolving mission is engaging throughout.MissionWhat separates “12 Strong” from the pack, however, is its ability to introduce and stay with a band of brothers worth caring about. In addition to Hemsworth, they are played by Michael Shannon, Michael Pena, Trevante Rhodes, Geoff Stults, Thad Luckinbill, Austin Stowell, Ben O’Toole, Austin Hebert, Kenneth Miller, Kenny Sheard and Jack Kesy. The dialogue (Ted Tally and Peter Craig have screenplay credits) is more crackling than standard wartime action pic fare, and actors like Hemsworth, Shannon and Pena make it their own too.Politics and consequences, both before and after this mission, are of little interest to the filmmakers beyond wistful musings of Dostum, who makes passing comments about how Afghanistan is the “graveyard of many empires” and how the US forces will be cowards if they leave and enemies if they stay.But stirring and solid, “12 Strong” is the kind of film that might make you think twice about January releases, and spotlights a riveting story in our recent history that many Americans might not know.Also:LOS ANGELES: At the world premiere of “12 Strong” at New York’s Lincoln Center Tuesday night, Australian-born Chris Hemsworth recalled being impacted by the Sept 11 attacks that forever changed America.“I have very vivid, vivid memories of 9/11”, Hemsworth shared with Variety.“12 Strong” is based on the true story of 12 special force operatives who took on the dangerous task of fighting alongside Afghan warlords to take down the Taleban in the wake of 9/11.“The story needed to be told and do away with this misconception and generalizing of that area of the world”, he said. There are people there fighting for the same freedoms we are and that’s what makes special forces so impressive”.The star, who plays Captain Mitch Nelson in the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced war drama, added, “I thought I knew what happened the following weeks, but I didn’t. I was fascinated by this story”. LOS ANGELES: Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer are reuniting for a new film.“The Help” co-stars will lead a holiday comedy for Universal.Following a heated bidding war, the studio won the rights to the untitled pitch from Chastain’s Freckle Films.Chastain and Kelly Carmichael wrote the original treatment and “Crazy Rich Asians” scribe Peter Chiarelli is on board to pen the script. Chastain is attached to produce with her company Freckle Films, along with Maven Pictures. Carmichael, Celine Rattray, and Trudie Styler will also produce.Universal beat out Fox and Paramount for the pitch, which follows two women fighting the elements to make it home for Christmas.(Agencies)Exec VP of production Erik Baiers and creative executive Mika Pryce will oversee the project for Universal.The movie marks a re-team for Chastain and Spencer, who each earned an Oscar nomination for the smash hit “The Help”, with Spencer ultimately taking home the trophy for best supporting actress. Since then, the A-listers haven’t stopped garnering praise for their work, with both earning additional Academy Awards noms.This award season is no different as Chastain and Spencer are coming off critically acclaimed performances in Aaron Sorkin’s poker drama “Molly’s Game” and Guillermo del Toro’s Cold War fairy tale “The Shape of Water”, respectively.Chiarelli is best known for writing the hit romantic comedy “The Proposal”, in addition to the upcoming film “Crazy Rich Asians”, set to hit theaters later this year. He is repped UTA, Mosaic, and Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.Chastain — who is repped by CAA, Mosaic, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman — can be seen next in “X-Men: Dark Phoenix”. (Agencies)By Lindsey Bahr