War Machine (Chinese translation "War Machine"), adapted from the late journalist Michael Hastings' best-selling book "The Manipulator: The Terrifying Inside Story of the Afghanistan War", tells the story of General Glen McMahon, who was ordered to go to Afghanistan to win the war, and his subordinates , various incidents and insider stories with cabinet bureaucrats and with the media of various countries.
Although the film is defined as a comedy, to be precise, it is a "black comedy", but there are basically no "funny" scenes in the work, let alone "black humor". Hour, in addition to being boring, it is even more "inexplicable".
Concise and concise, don't talk about it, go directly to the review.
I. The "inexplicable" protagonist and the "inexplicable" hero
Brad Pitt is the only protagonist of the work. The Glen he created is not only "inexplicable", but also "grandfather". Why do you say that? two o'clock. One is "voice". The audience must have noticed that Pitt in the work has been talking with his voice raised, which is quite different from his normal voice. Personally, he doesn't quite understand the intention of this behavior. Is it to highlight the age of the character? Or another picture? I don't understand, no matter what, this "trick" is really incompetent, and there is absolutely no need for it to exist. The second is "walking posture". Glen's posture when walking and running is very close to "Forrest Gump". Is the director's "design" to uglify the "prototype", or is it "disgusting" for the audience? can not read it.
Compared with the stupid protagonist, the two dragon actors show their true colors, and they acted very well.
One is Cole, played by Lakeith Stanfield. His words, his facial expressions, and his inner scenes are all remarkable.
The other is a German female politician (or a reporter?) played by Tilda Swinton. Although there are only a few minutes of drama, her acting skills have already conquered the audience present, and her unpretentious and unremarkable performance is awe-inspiring .
II. The theme and connotation of "Unintelligible" A
work with "four dissimilarities" - not like war films, not like comedies, not like idol films, not like political films, as director and screenwriter David Michôd uses this This work interprets the meaning of "lack of theme" and "lack of connotation".
The "pediatric" tricks in the film - mocking the bureaucracy, blackening the U.S. military, and internal discord among the Allies (such as sharp questions from allies) are all done to the point, without any burden to ponder and explore. It was not until the end of the film that the narrator said a few words that pointed out the theme (directly attacking the hegemony of the United States), which was a little contrived.
All in all, spending 2 hours watching such a work is a bit of a waste of time.
III. Low-end irony, lack of serious thinking
All the characters in the film are "ugly". Including Karzai (former president of Afghanistan) - doing nothing all day, only watching TV in a daze; Obama (former president of the United States) - except for a news video, did not even give a face; General Glen's wife - no Knowing what the director thinks, the actor playing this role is obviously not in harmony with Pitt, not like a couple at all, more like a mother and son.
Why "uglify" them? Is it for "sarcasm"? Or is there another meaning? Or highlight the "joy"? Personally, I don't understand, but one thing is very clear, that is, it is really boring and disgusting for this kind of "blackened individual" behavior that lacks factual basis.
Written at the end, as a film with a strong "anti-war" color, the director, screenwriter, and actors of this work are all slightly incompetent, so the final quality of the work is quite ordinary, neither the content of the story is neatly sorted out nor the connotation. Complete interpretation. Slightly disappointed.
Director★★☆☆☆ (Clumsy, limited ability to tell stories and explore connotations)
Actors★★☆☆☆ (Two stars to Lakeith Stanfield and Tilda Swinton, as for Pitt, can only say "out of reach")
Story★★ ★☆☆(The story is clearly told, but the connotation is missing, the most important thing is too much procrastination)
Visual effects★★★☆☆(Normal, nothing outstanding)
Sound effects★★★☆☆(strong punk flavor, music The degree of coordination with the work is average, and there is no fault)
Recommended crowd: audiences in the famine period.
Detailed film review + stills first published in "The Journey of Floyd and Helen", thank you
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