Are you in the mood for cutting edge military surveillance, white-knuckle tension and political intrigue? Then welcome to the best war film since 2009’s Hurt Locker. The plot interconnects disparate players, including politicians, generals and drone pilots in a mission to eliminate a terrorist cell in Kenya. With an insightful look into modern military tactics, this production proves vital and ferociously suspenseful. Kathryn Bigelow eat your heart out.
Put simply, this is a drama about a single grotesque (but necessary) decision. Much like a video game, the deciders sit around a table orchestrating agents like chess pieces. But most of these people are thrust into a situation they’re ill-equipped to contend with. There is a gallery of impressive performances here from hard-nosed Colonel Powell (Helen Mirren) to fearless field operative Farah (Barkhad Abdi). Particular plaudits go to (posthumously) Alan Rickman in a typically austere role and Babou Ceesay whose character is unenviably tasked with calculating real-time collateral damage percentages (what!?).
Eye’s thesis is that even with mind boggling surveillance and precision weapons technology, the ugliness of war cannot be mitigated. And, with a narrative that unfolds with impeccable poise, this film is an early contender for best picture of 2016.
Lol I never knew if this site used a 4 or 5-star scale. It’s great to see such lofty praise for a film that I was thoroughly gripped by. Performances are universally excellent and the suspense was just a killer. I’d agree, it’s gonna be up there with some of ’16’s best selections.
I personally prefer the 4 star system (like Ebert and Berardinelli). However this is Dave’s website so I have to play by his rules 😉
We don’t go above 4 very often! I really should check this out myself, if Jono thinks it warrants such a high score. 🙂
Asks the hard questions, while also not forgetting to give a pretty tense and exciting story. Nice review.
Thanks! Hopefully the film isn’t forgotten at the end of year awards season.
This was great!