War movies are sort of making a comeback and it’s a genre usually steeped in controversy depending on the war that is depicted and the subject matter explored within that story.
A new film from writer-director Andrew Niccol (Gattaca, Lord of War) is seemingly taking-on one of the military’s most controversial programs which involves unmanned drones used in active combat.
In Good Kill, Ethan Hawke plays a pilot that is now stuck behind a desk piloting drones instead of a fighter jet. This takes a toll on the soldier as he starts questioning the ethics of his job and the war itself.
There’s already some positive buzz surrounding the film and it’s trailer gives the impression that there are some seriously tense moments. It’s quite possible that Good Kill could end-up becoming the next Hurt Locker, which isn’t surprising since the film has producers that worked on that film as well.
Hurt Locker focused on the intense nature of bomb disposal units, Zero Dark Thirty gave a bit more context to what a C.I.A. field analyst agent does and what a Seal special ops mission might look like, putting aside it’s controversies American Sniper did give us a bit of insight into the world of a professional Navy Seal sniper.
Kill focusing on drone operators is something we haven’t seen before and it’s shocking because you’d expect it to be one of more difficult jobs considering all the reports of civilians and children getting caught in the crossfire.
Exploring all these different roles within the military sort of sheds some light on soldiers and their roles within war time regimes. Not focusing on political side of the wars these soldiers are placed-in, but rather focusing on their personal stories that are attributed to conflict and how wars unjust/or just alike impact these people and their families during/after their service.
The film stars Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoe Kravitz, and Bruce Greenwood with a release date of April 10th, 2015.
