Film Snail

5.6

War Machine

R·2017·122m

Comedy

Drama

War

Comedy

Drama

War

Summary

A rock star general bent on winning the “impossible” war in Afghanistan takes us inside the complex machinery of modern war. Inspired by the true story of General Stanley McChrystal.

Cast

Brad Pitt

Gen. Glen McMahon

Anthony Michael Hall

Greg Pulver

Emory Cohen

Willy Dunne

John Magaro

Cory Staggart

Topher Grace

Matt Little

Daniel Betts

Simon Ball

Aymen Hamdouchi

Badi Basim

Alan Ruck

Pat McKinnon

Anthony Hayes

Pete Duckman

RJ Cyler

Andy Moon

Nicholas Jones

Dick Waddle

Will Poulter

Ricky Ortega

LaKeith Stanfield

Cpl. Billy Cole

Ben Kingsley

President Karzai

Meg Tilly

Jeannie McMahon

Griffin Dunne

Ray Canucci

Josh Stewart

Captain Dick North

Kola Bokinni

Mike Cutter (as Kolwole Bokinni)

Derek Siow

Tony Song

Hopper Penn

Pvt. Nick Farrenberg

Pico Alexander

Trey Wandella

Scoot McNairy

Sean Cullen

Justin Rosniak

Colonel Derek Bogg

Paolo Gasparini

Colonel Plotti Balotti

Simon Werner

Colonel Helmut Bauer

Sian Thomas

Edith May

Reggie Brown

President Obama (as Reginald D. Brown)

Chris Lew Kum Hoi

Andy Carroll (as Christopher Lew Kum Hoi)

Hassani Shapi

General Mohammad Khan

Jean-Pierre Lorit

Pierre Giteau

Gillian Jones

Tashi Tsomo

Richard Glover

Chaplain Richards

Ben Peel

Bernie Coot Special Operator

Elham Ehsas

Translator Kenny

Georgina Rylance

Lydia Cunningham

Abdul Whahab

Translator - Shura

Tilda Swinton

German Politician

Kick Gurry

Tom Howard

Rufus Wright

Lt. Col. Frank Groom

Gijs Scholten van Aschat

Dutch Contractor

Mirrah Foulkes

Captain Barbara Floss

Dan Wyllie

Pope

Josh McConville

Payne

Tim Downie

Paul Smear

Sean Power

US Platoon Commander

Andrew Byron

General Vladislav Melnik

Daniel Fritz

German Hotel Clerk

Mohammadi Gul

Marja Father

Abdul Salam

Marja Child

Aykut Hilmi

Afgan Bureaucrat

Nezar Alderazi

Afghan Palace Guard

Orli Shuka

Macedonian Guard #1

Tara D'Arquian

Le Grand Hotel Clerk

Russell Crowe

Bob White

Vic Waghorn

Gala Dignitary

Amy Clare Beales

USRAF Soldier

Christian Mandel

Lt. Cole

Danny Kim

Young

Benedict Hardie

Arnold

Crew

Director, Screenplay

David Michôd

Novel

Michael Hastings

Reviews

Horseface

November 2, 2020

It feels like there's a really good movie hidden somewhere in here, but perhaps not a comedy.

As far as the comedy goes, its biggest obstacle is Brad Pitt. I remember seeing another comedy with him in it, and I remember him being not particularly good. This time around it's even worse, and it's clear to me that the man doesn't have a funny bone at all.

There's plenty of comedic material in the script, as delivered by the supporting cast, but to be frank, Brad Pitt is simply terrible. I don't remember having seen him this poor, ever, and I'm really quite a fan of him. Why he fails so terribly to be funny, I'm not sure. Perhaps he lacks the ability to do self-ridicule, perhaps he tries too hard, perhaps he doesn't really get humour in the first place, you be the judge — I just know he's not funny. At all. They really should have done better casting here. Lots of obvious candidates that would be better, and probably cheaper, too.

Then there's the whole deal about it being a comedy in the first place. I don't consider myself a prune, but there are scenes in this film where the attempt at comedy just seems in awfully poor taste. Which is why I air the question of whether the "hidden good movie" in here should indeed be a comedy. The best scenes in War Machine most definitely aren't the funny ones, that's for sure.