In general the shows which Netflix releases are of high quality and often can’t be missed. Unfortunately that isn’t the case for the movies the company has released under its name (with an occasional exception). War Machine looks like an interesting film, with Brad Pitt starring and it’s directed by David Michôd who previously was responsible for the great Animal Kingdom. The movie also has a number of surprising cameos from famous actors and actresses. Is this great Netflix movie?
Glenn McMahon (Pitt) is a general who’s sent to Afghanistan to lead the troops at a moment when Obama wants them to return home. McMahon is very driven though and wants this mission, because officially they are at war, to be a success even if that’s something the people in Washington don’t want. He decides to start travelling around the country to get a good overview of the situation in order to create his plan of attack. He doesn’t really care if that means annoying other people. His only goal is to be successful and succeed where others failed. Together with his soldiers, some of which have strange behaviour, he plans on winning this war.
War Machine is meant as a satirical movie and previously Brad Pitt has shown that he can be funny as a general (Inglorious Basterds). In this role he really disappoints though as you never get the feeling that you are watching a real character, but Pitt just twisting his face a bit and trying to keep it that way as long as possible. It’s an important reason why this movie doesn’t work as good. It’s not a convincing character and as he is the focus of the movie this affects the whole experience in a negative way. As a satire it never is strong enough. The film does have it’s funny moments, but it never comes close to movie like In the Loop. The cameos are a joy to see, but as a whole War Machine lacks something to make it worth watching. It’s a two-hour movie in which not much happens.
