Good Kill

This movie highlights important societal issues. Drone warfare is the future and soon many drones will be flying over US soil. Not just military drones mind you, but your local police will have them as well.

The reality is this. The US kills many innocent people with drones. For example, in Pakistan alone 41 men were targeted but 1,147 people killed. If you wish, you can search on this statistic and it will take you to the article about this.

It is time America dealt with the reality of what it is doing and this film is a small step in that direction. I will not write an exhaustive review because I hate spoiling movies for people, but the movie is worth watching and more importantly, thinking about.

Drones with Hellfire missiles lurk for entire days over selected targets around the world. Those who control the drones, sitting in air conditioned shipping containers near Las Vegas, are close enough sometimes to see the expressions on the faces of people as the missiles strike. The film explores complications involved in the strikes including; how easy it is for innocents to end up among the dead, difficulties in determining when and who to hit, confused chains of command, how easy it is to make mistakes or corrupt the process, and how we might feel if we were in the shoes of our targets. Major Thomas Egan (Ethan Hawke) is a vodka guzzling former pilot who laments how the U.S. Air Force has become the "U.S. Chair Force." We follow him in the office and at home as he sinks into depression, indifference and fatigue, and he still controls the trigger that determines, somewhat shakily at times, who lives or dies. While the plot could use some additional creativity and depth, and the acting is somewhat shallow, the film explores a fascinating subject. Actual strikes, from Wikileaks, add an extra dose or realism. Seen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.

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.

"I had information that the Taliban commander's brother would attend the funeral. So I waited until they were all there, saying their prayers... and then I blew them up too. That's my job." Thomas Egan (Hawke) is a major in the US Airforce who is trying to adjust to the modern "flying", piloting drones. He spends his days bombing and surveying damage 7000 miles away and his nights trying to reconcile what he as done. His life causes strain on his marriage and overall well being. This is a very interesting movie. It deals with something I never really thought of before, drone pilots can get PTSD too. This is not a happy movie at all, but it is a very realistic movie. Half of the movie shows how the pilots feels about piloting drones and the aftermath of their consequences. The other half is about the commanders and how they feel about the effectiveness and usefulness of them. Both sides make convincing arguments and that keeps you interested, invested and involved in the movie. Unlike some recent war movies this one does nothing to glorify the awfulness of battle and really makes you think. Overall, one of the best and most realistic war movies I have seen. More like Platoon than American Sniper. I really liked this one. I give it an A-.

Ethan's acting is probably the biggest deterrent for me in this movie, but luckily the cheesiness doesn't last more than the first half. Silly things like his leather jacket to help him stand out amongst his peers in the desert sun at mid day. The movie is so well directed though, and the script is paced superbly. The dialog and character development keep you inside the head without having to narrate or explain anything overtly to the viewer so it really provokes thought in an organic way.

Supporting actors are very well integrated. Overall a terrific movie. I give it an 8 but at times it would be +/- 1 from beginning to end (7 to start, 9 at the end).

Very highly recommended if you're in the mood for something cerebral and heartfelt. I'd compare it to Requiem for a Dream, Rebound or Paid in Full in that respect.