Good Kill - Tod aus der Luft

Greetings again from the darkness. It sounds like a screenwriter's workshop: write a story centered on a joystick, a computer monitor, a speaker phone and a shipping container. Most would surrender their Pulitzer dream and head back to the day job. Andrew Niccol, on the other hand, is a talented writer/director known for such projects as Gattaca, Lord of War, and The Truman Show. His story is set in 2010 and is "based on a true story" of drone warfare.

It could seem a bit dated to explore a topic that most have known about for years, but Niccol manages to wring out a story that keeps us engaged and more importantly, encourages discussion about the concept of "video game warfare".

Ethan Hawke plays a fighter pilot who has been reassigned as a drone pilot after serving 6 tours in Afghanistan. Each day he reports to duty on a Las Vegas base and spends 12 hours locked away in a cramped shipping container staring at a video monitor while delicately manipulating a joystick that can kill people 7000 miles away within 10 seconds. These killer drones have transformed warfare, and as far as I know, this is the first film version dedicated to the daily lives of the men and women serving this duty.

Given what we know about fighter pilots, it's not surprising that Hawke's character is crumbling emotionally … missing the danger that comes with a real cockpit. His marriage to January Jones is void of any intimacy or communication (partially due to his alcoholism), though surprisingly, Ms. Jones delivers something other than her typical cardboard cutout performance. Watching the suburban lifestyle of these two – grilling, backyard parties, math homework with the kids – brings nothing new to the screen, but tension is palpable as Hawke and his co-drone-pilot Zoe Kravitz are locked away and forced to follow morally-questionable orders from Langley (voiced by the great Peter Coyote). Put yourself on that joystick and imagine what you would do.

The story pushes us to discuss the dehumanization of war, and the idea that the Air Force is now best described as the "Chair Force". Especially interesting is the official verbiage used by the CIA and military in an effort to avoid "killing" and "innocent bystanders". Think about the fact that 3 decades have passed since we got caught up in the thrill of Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer as Top Gun pilots, and now some of the most deadly decisions are made based on a visual feed from a done hovering at 10,000 feet.

Mr. Niccol delivers a thought-provoking movie, which alone sets it above many. The drone's eye view follows not just the movements of the enemy, but also those of Hawke at home and in his car. Hawke's commanding officer is played by Bruce Greenwood, who delivers the film's best line: as Hawke is looking at Greenwood's fighter pilot photos, he says, you are probably thinking "I must have been a pilot before Pontius". It's a great line and one that reinforces how warfare has changed … from boots on the ground to recruits based on their video game savvy. Surgical strikes are the preferred manner of warfare, so watch this and ask yourself … what would you do?

About 20 minutes in I started to really gravitate to the subject material. I didn't realize this was going to be a film that would capture my attention as much as it did.

The main story is about the drone operators in our armed services, and his life while doing a job that requires taking lives all too frequently. Its very interesting, watching the psychological stresses of "being a fly on the wall," much less a fly with the option to light your day up.

Basically, a drone operator's job consists of killing and spying on terrorists.

As a part of a drone team currently operating various military and CIA operations, the main characters live in Vegas, and pretty much do this from their local office just down the road from home.

So these "soldiers" don't tour like a normal soldier might. They're posted locally... And their jobs do not require travel with today's communication tech.

You see, They get into their car... Drive to an undisclosed military base (close by daily commute)... Walk into a trailer loaded with state of the art communications and drone equipment... Sit down at their station... And kill people on the other side of the planet through a monitor with super HD resolution. (Military tech blows your progressive scan out of the water, just saying.)

The job is far from a normal one...

"You punch out... You drive home to your picture perfect neighborhood, your picture perfect family, but the images stay with you... Your actions... Stay with you."

Hands down a great topic to base a film on. Really enjoying it thoroughly...

By 40 minutes into this film, every news report I've seen on drones, every public debate and moral argument about the accountability in drone strikes... It all shot to the front of my thoughts as John Stewart rants suddenly came into focus.

A worthy watch... Real eye opener to how easily these resources could be abused and miss used by our shadowy government structure.

Leaves so many ethical boundaries scathed by the existence of this truly "hands off" way of going to war... And the kicker?

We've been doing it for years.

Its no wonder America is so hated...

Great film. Does a wonderful job exploring the arguments from every side... And makes some great points that show how grey war and terrorism can become.

At what point does "fighting terrorism" cross that line? When do the protectors of freedom become another societies terrorist?

This all comes into question as the supervisors of the drone teams make it very clear to them that their mission is a "Pre-Emptive Strike" against terrorism.

It touches on so many conversations that would demand too much accountability... Yet, our continued actions literally propel a cycle of violence forward by becoming the "PreEmptive" strikers.

It does good making the viewer aware of the potential "other side" perspective on how American's operate. It does a better job showing the psychological effects on the drone pilots that are forced to follow questionably unethical orders... Day, after day, after day.

I gotta say... Its a dialog that needs to happen. I'm really pleased someone made this film. They pulled together an excellent presentation of the issue while entertaining me with solid performances and an occasionally moving script.

This is a great film for anyone who wants to learn about what our military is doing and how drone strikes work... It keeps you engaged once you're in, offers a fair amount of big moments to chew on, and ultimately weaves a great story. Dare I say, its as good as American Sniper... Just in different ways. You can tell the films are by two completely different teams. But thats not to say the stories aren't equally compelling in nature.

I have to say that beyond the movie... Its awesome to see Ethan Hawke in so many interesting roles over the last couple years.

Totally worth your time. Great film.

This is a, at least in my opinion, a realistic portrayal of the inner conflict of UAV "pilot" and has very real characters with very real moral conflicts, and to me, that's a very interesting setup and my kind of movie. I don't think this'll be everyone's movie though. There's no epic awesome action sequence or extremely tense moments (there is a couple of moments that are more intense than the overall feel of the movie but not super intense). The main thing this movie has going for it is the deep gray-area type of moral conflict that the characters (not just the main character) face and it makes you think about them. Towards the end however, there is a very satisfactory feel that made you feel good and "all is just in the world" and that's a big plus for a movie like this, because a lot of these types of movie end in somewhat of an empty way. Now, as stated, because this isn't a entertainment kind of movie, there are going to be people saying that the characters were boring and monotonous, etc., but really, that's what fit the movie setup, and that's what is realistic. It's definitely not for everyone, but it was my type of film and I enjoyed it and plan to rewatch it to rethink through the moral conflicts in the movie.

Good kill delivers a striking message with pinpoint accuracy. It deals with a disturbing side of war in all of its unabashed glory. The lead Ethan Hawke is excellent in his description of a man with two contrasting life, one or both of them might seem painfully surreal for him. Script is just as brash as it is refreshing, filled with military jargon and also complex questions. This is not an orthodox war movie, yet it venture farther than most.

Tom Egan (Ethan Hawke) is a drone pilot, fighting war from halfway across the globe. This seemingly non-dangerous job weighs on his mind as his relationships with his wife Molly (January Jones) suffers from the stress. The story pushes harder as the mission is gradually becoming more morally dubious and many lives are at stake. Acting is really solid, Hawke looks just like a seasoned veteran who's been drained by his service.

January Jones as his wife is mostly subtle, but she performs greatly on the more emotional scenes. It's not the normal melodramatic relationship that these two have, there's an effort to create functioning family, yet they are far too detached and distant to each other. Egan's colleagues are also excellent, especially Zoe Kravitz as Suarez, his younger co-pilot who exhibits rare virtue in the line of work and Bruce Greenwod as the commander who is as sympathetic as he is duty bound, who also delivers a mean speech.

Script is amazing, dialogues are powerfully engaging and thought provoking. It showcases suspense despite the pilots are not physically engaged in combat. The brash attitude, smart jab and fervent inquiries are presented elegantly to audiences. However, the constant switch between bird eye view and ordinary cinematography might be jarring and repetitive. While the everyday grind and heavy theme are meant to be exhausting, they can be excessively claustrophobic for the audiences.

Good Kill is not a conventional blockbuster action movie, yet it will generate profound contemplation for its emotionally taxing premise.

Sometimes movie-making can be at its best when it does not simply entertain but poses challenging questions about contemporary issues. "Good Kill" asks us whether it is moral, legal and even effective to use Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (so-called drones) to eliminate assumed terrorists, even when collateral damage (that is, the deaths of non- terrorists) is likely or even certain. These are not academic questions: the use of drones to kill Islamic extremists has been extensive under the Obama administration in the United States and, just before I caught up with this film, my own government in Britain confirmed the use of drones to execute ISIS militants.

We see all the action - surprisingly close up and personal thanks to the amazing military technology - through the eyes of a Las Vegas-based fighter pilot turned drone pilot Major Thomas Egan. He is played by Ethan Hawke who is known for his wordy roles in films like the "Before ..." trilogy and "Boyhood" but here is laconic, showing the pained emotions in his face and movements more than in his few words - especially to his long-suffering wife Molly (January Jones).

New Zealand-born screenwriter-director Andrew Niccol ("Lord Of War") ensures that both sides of the argument are put, but there is no doubt on which side he himself sits. At the end, there is a sequence which gives the viewer some satisfaction, even a thrill, but Niccol has cleverly made us complicit in an act, the like of which we have spent most of the movie certainly questioning and possibly even condemning. "Good Kill" had limited theatrical release and success but it is a brave and honest attempt to make a political movie that raises vital issues.