War Machine Review - Solid Political Satire

Ah Netflix. Now you've come into your own as a production company, subscribers get to cut out the middle men of cinemas and view straight from your bed as you engage in a depressingly long viewing session of media, even though you have others things to be doing. For better or worse, we get cheap content and cinemas are threatened. Pros and cons.

War Machine is a fact-inspired political war film which sees Brad Pitt reprising his Inglorious Basterds accent to play the general in charge of Afghanistan (based on real life general Stanley McChrystal). What follows is an absurd mess of asking for more troops, withdrawing troops, orangutan running and dealing with the local ruler (Ben Kingsley). Pitt's charismatic defiance of his superiors and the driving force behind him are the support beams behind the film, although Tilda Swinton's cameo hammers home his desire for his big moment to last as long as possible in a ham-fisted fashion.

Regardless of political opinion, War Machine toes the line between light and dark competently enough whilst depicting the utter nonsense that went on in the middle-east. However, the political nature of the characters will possibly divide people; Pitt's McChrystal stand in is an interventionist after all, firmly believing America can improve Afghanistan despite Obama's wishes, but writer/director David Michod always makes sure there are some commendable satirical jabs here and there.

THREE STARS. If you like this, a more light-hearted film in a similar vein is The Men Who Stare at Goats.