The trailer for ‘WAR MACHINE’ suggests it is a work of sci-fi/action set in the backdrop of the Army Ranger selection process. In actuality, it is a melodrama that explores a soldier’s journey to self-discovery.
The premise is basic. After the untimely death of his brother by way of an ambush in Kandahar, Afghanistan, the protagonist, ‘81’(Alan Ritchson) unsuccessfully makes several attempts to become an Army Ranger. On his last mission to complete the Ranger selection process he and his squad encounter an otherworldly ‘soldier’.
The sci-fi elements could be substituted with any enemy combatants and the plot would essentially be the same. Think “Lone Survivor” meets “Transformers” and replace the wise-cracking, benevolent robots with the bloodthirsty, weaponized kind.
The first thing that jumps out is the title. It relies on name recognition of an African-American comic book superhero to gain interest. I hesitate to use the “r” word although it does a two-step on the line between entertainment and exploitation. I guess no one in the marketing meetings or writing confabs stopped to think, “Could they sue us for this?” Apparently, comic book character monikers are not copyrighted.
In these types of action movies the character(s) are often given an obvious motivation. One such tool is the last wish of a deceased relative. This literary mechanism succeeds because of the emotional dialogue or tell-tale behaviors - y’know, ‘acting’.
The opening scene, a dirt road in Kandahar, does a good job of presenting the closeness of ‘81’ and his brother. The brother(Jai Courtney) suggests joining the Army Rangers. ‘81’ is reluctant but eventually concedes. This would be the last conversation they would have.
This emotional sequence does set up the classic protagonist's motivation for the rest of the movie. While predictable and poignant, it accomplishes in a few pages of dialogue what other movies take an entire act to develop. He becomes driven, even to his demise, to carry out his brother’s last wish. It’s also the biggest chunk of dialogue delivered by Ritchson.
