Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/832512
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 4 JUNE 2017 38 This Week CONTINUING a great tradition that no doubt had its cultural fore- bear in Joseph Heller's modern classic piece of prose Catch-22, the latest flagship Netflix-exclu- sive feature film is a caustic look at the diplomatic 'clusterfuck' that was the tail-end of the Afghan War. Starring Brad Pitt – with a supporting role offered up by Ben Kingsley as former Afghan presi- dent Hamid Karzai and even a sly, sharp cameo from Tilda Swinton – War Machine enlists promis- ing Aussie writer-director David Michôd (Animal Kingdom) to adapt (and lightly fictionalise) the book The Operators by Micheal Hastings, which recounts the fall from grace of US General Stanley McChrystal, here renamed Gener- al Glen McMahon and embodied by Pitt. Hastings's book was spun off from an earlier Rolling Stone ar- ticle, for which the sly author in- terpellated himself into the Mc- Chrystal's ranks, and wound up telling an embarrassing yarn of bureaucratic incompetence and gung-ho American triumphalism. It may have helped sink McMa- hon's career, but it gave us this film – which, at its conclusion, actually laments the lack of public interest in the true, deeper impli- cations of the Afghan War and America's propensity for knee- jerk invasion masquerading as na- tion building. And this is the thing – Michôd's film certainly has its heart in the right place, establishing a drily humorous and knowing tone about the events at hand and never once succumbing to jingo- ism. If anything, its satire – which recalls this year's similarly cyni- cal look at the 'business' of mod- ern American warfare, War Dogs – risks being too glib in parts, assuming that its audience is al- ways fully on board with its self- satisfied and soundbite-friendly critique of the ins and outs of the Afghan situation. A better stylis- tic wash may have done away with this problem, but Michôd relies too heavily on voice over nar- ration by our Michael Hastings stand-in – here renamed Sean Cullen and played by the always on-point Scoot McNairy – to the point where its first few minutes feel like an illustrated audio book, with the voiceover introducing our players one by one in what soon becomes a repetitive and somewhat numbing exercise. If anything, it points to the ul- timate downside of taking a TV drama approach to a feature film – an 'appropriate' mistake given the fact that War Machine is pro- duced and distributed by Netflix. Serialised television narrative can afford to spend time just letting the characters talk and talk, be- cause part of the medium's appeal is getting to know the characters as if they were one's friends or ac- quaintances; never mind the fact that all of these conversations can build up to satisfying arcs further down the line as the episode- count ticks away. With a feature, your time is limited – even if, at two hours, Michôd's film could be said to be outstaying its welcome somewhat – and you need to use your stylistic tools to maximise the experience and make it as powerful as possible. The presence of Brad Pitt lends an extra oomph to what is es- sentially a TV movie, but while his McMahon is occasionally compelling as an almost naively 'good' man executing a mission that's idiotic at best and a moral black void at worst, it is hampered by a pantomime performance from Pitt – he appears to be do- ing simply a dialled-down version of his Aldo Raine in Inglourious Basterds (2009) – which in itself embodies the stylistic indecision at the heart of the film itslf. War Machine is a worthwhile effort hampered by a lack of for - mal ambition. Certainly funny and illuminating in parts, it could also have used some stylistic flair to bring the otherwise pretty in- cendiary material to life. Still, it exudes a sharp satirical charm and boasts some fine performanc- es, and makes a fine-enough time as you while away on the couch, contemplating which Netflix tab will serve you next, or better... Released on May 26, War Ma- chine is currently streaming on Netflix IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Wonder Woman (12A) 10:30, 14:30, 18:00, 20:55 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (12A) 10:15, 13:20, 15:55, 18:30, 21:05 The Boss Baby (U) 10:30, 16:00, 18:10 The Promise (12A) 20:50 Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge (12A) 10:20, 14:15, 18:00, 20:45 Alien: Covenant (15) 13:30 | 16:00 | 18:30 | 21:00 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (12A) 14:30, 17:45, 20:45 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (12A) 11:00, 13:35, 16:05, 18:40, 21:15, 23:50 Wonder Woman (12A) 11:00, 12:50, 13:45, 15:40, 16:30, 18:25, 20:00, 21:15, 22:55 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (12A) 11:15, 14:00, 17:50, 20:40, 23:30 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (U) 11:20, 14:05, 16:10, 18:20, 20:30, 22:35 A Dog's Purpose (PG) 11:25, 14:05, 16:15, 18:25, 20:35, 22:45 Snatched (15) 11:30, 14:05, 16:10, 18:15, 20:30, 22:45 The Fate of the Furious (12A) 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 Alien: Covenant (15) 13:10, 16:00, 18:30, 21:10 Beauty and the Beast (PG) 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:05 Frantz (12A) 14:00, 18:35 The Boss Baby (U) 14:10, 16:20, 18:30 The Secret Scripture (12A) 16:20, 21:00 The Time of Their Lives (12A) 20:40 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (12A) 10:15, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (12A) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge (12A) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Wonder Woman (12A) 11:00, 14:00, 18:20, 21:10 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (U) 11:15, 14:00, 16:30, 18:30, 20:45 Snatched (15) 11:30, 14:00, 16:30, 18:40, 20:50 Alien: Covenant (15) 10:45, 13:30, 16:05, 18:35, 21:10 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WAR MACHINE ★ ★ ★ ★ WAR DOGS ★ ★ ★ IN THE TRENCHES ★ ★ WAR, WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR? ★ ABSOLUTELY NOTHING FILM Fighting the Stupid War Shooting from the hip: John Magaro and Brad Pitt in Netflix's War Machine By Teodor Reljic Supporting: Ben Kingsley WAR MACHINE (16+) ★ ★ ★