War Machine (2017)

“War Machine” stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Hayes, John Magaro, Emory Cohen, Anthony Michael Hall, Topher Grace, Will Poulter, Tilda Swinton, and Ben Kingsley.  Released on Netflix on May 26, 2017, the film is about a four-star general who is sent to Afghanistan to end the war.

The film is directed by David Michôd, who also directed films such as Crossbow, Solo, Animal Kingdom, and The Rover.  It is based on the nonfiction book The Operators by Michael Hastings.  Man, it has been a while since I reviewed a Netflix film for you readers.  Yes, there were some other films on Netflix that were released during the first few months of 2017, but the main reason why I didn't check out those films is because of life outside of Netflix.  Since I got caught up with last weekend’s new releases, I decided to review the latest Netflix original film that was released around Memorial Day weekend.  Why?  Because I was bored.  Come to think of it, I usually review movies whenever I’m bored.  Anyway, this film definitely has an interesting concept, but I found its execution a bit troubling.

Pros:
Solid performances from the cast, including Brad Pitt as General Glen McMahon.

The screenplay was decent and filled with wit.

The satirical point of view of the war had its interesting moments thanks to Michôd’s direction.

Cons:
The comedic moments felt flat and awkward.

The first act suffered from its slow pacing, but the second and third acts picked the film right back up.

The drama and satirical genres were uneven with one another.

Final thoughts: “War Machine” offers a somewhat interesting satirical experience of an unbeatable war from a general’s point of view, but its troublesome execution prevented the film from winning the war against its errors.  Brad Pitt was pretty entertaining as the main character and its witty screenplay had its perks, but the blend between the film’s two genres, drama and satirical, wasn’t strong enough to get the message across.  It was interesting for the most part, don’t get me wrong.  I just didn’t see anything else that would make me want to watch it again.  The film is available to watch on Netflix if you’re interested in seeing it.

C