Focusing my attention to a movie and shying away to write about a real situation is atypical of me. I eagerly wait to collect all facts about the situation in Venezuela and why the United States of America is so keen in an oil rich state of South America. The reason could be obvious but I still need to get the facts straight first.
War Machine, written and directed by David Michod, is a piece of satire on American delusional dreams about controlling the world order. Sometimes it is better to understand when to step back. The title of the movie has a subtle hidden meaning about a country that is so obsessed to fight a war. The plot of the movie is an adaptation of a book written by Michael Hastings, The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan. The story focuses on an American General Stanley Allen McChrystal (played by Brad Pitt and as General McMahon) posted in Afghanistan and his personal intent about the whole situation. The entire story is narrated by a journalist Sean Cullen (played by Scoot McNairy for impersonating Michael Hastings). For more than half of the movie, you wonder if you could actually see the narrator and then suddenly you could just see him meeting General McMahon in Germany.
The assessment made by General McMahon for the entire operation of US Army in Afghanistan met a striking reality check by a German politician (played by Tilda Swinton). His assessment about insurgents and the plan that why he needed more soldiers in Afghanistan was in direct contradiction with the words of Obama administration. Tilda Swinton made him realize that this is not a war to win or in fact there might not be any war to be fought. The insurgents are typically the local residents and not direct members of Al-Qaeda. The ignorance and obsession of the US Army and government to fight a war is something that needs a reality check every time. No people of any country would want foreign soldiers on their ground. The situation gets worse each day for and when you try to combat it.
General McMahon’s obsession to win a war and publish his accomplishments in some magazine made him so vulnerable that costed him his career later. His obsession to come on the cover page of the magazine Rolling Stones made him reveal his approach in the worst possible way. Sean Cullen through his personal interactions with the crew made him to sketch a completely insane picture of General McMahon.
The movie might not appeal to the wider audience and might look bleak in its approach and execution at times but still manages to bring out the real picture of what’s happening in Afghanistan during those times. The subtle humor that lingers all throughout the movie is in itself a piece of work.