What would you do if you were an American military officer involved in the US war on terror, and your superiors demanded that you target innocent civilians, for the sake of national safety? This is one of the many dilemmas that Major Thomas Egan (Ethan Hawke) has to endure, in the brilliant and marvelous Good Kill, directed by Andrew Niccol.
Major Thomas Egan lives in Las Vegas, with his wife and children, in a well-designed suburban neighborhood for military personal. On duty, he goes to the Air Force Base, in the outskirts of Vegas, where he controls Airstrike drones, targeting and exploding terrorists in the Middle East, and occasionally, in Africa. He gets along well with his superiors and colleagues, with a competent and solid reputation that precedes him. Nonetheless, he is very dissatisfied with his life and career. Being a real pilot, he has urges for a real mission, with a real Falcon military airplane. Really upset with his current assignment, he sees himself as an impostor, as no real danger is present when he is safely inside his cabin, controlling a drone that is literally miles away distant, executing missions by remote control, never experiencing the risks and tensions of a real war. After his shift, he drives his car back to his home, to his boring obligations as a husband and a father, and this routine, day by day, takes a toll on him. Not being involved in a real war is an obvious major blow to his sense of purpose, and as a result, Egan began to drink heavily, as a measure to wash away his frustrations.
In the Air Force Base, the situation gets worse when his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Jack Johns (Bruce Greenwood) tells his Airstrike team to obey CIA agents, that are eager to use their abilities to strike targets in Africa and Yemen. After a few missions, it became obvious that they are killing innocent civilians, that had nothing to do with the war on the terror. With the CIA agents only saying that this is “normal” collateral damage, to Thomas and his colleagues, it gets increasingly obvious that something very wrong is going on.
Unable to disobey the orders, Thomas begin to drink more and more, and his domestic life starts to fall apart. When his wife leave with their children, Thomas feels horribly distressed, and can ‘t stand anymore at the hard ordeals of his life. Losing his grip on sanity, he starts to feel more and more unsettled, and free to break all the rules. In the end, one good act of generosity, towards a Muslim woman that was about to be raped, makes redemption seems a place not too far away from home.
Major Thomas Egan lives in Las Vegas, with his wife and children, in a well-designed suburban neighborhood for military personal. On duty, he goes to the Air Force Base, in the outskirts of Vegas, where he controls Airstrike drones, targeting and exploding terrorists in the Middle East, and occasionally, in Africa. He gets along well with his superiors and colleagues, with a competent and solid reputation that precedes him. Nonetheless, he is very dissatisfied with his life and career. Being a real pilot, he has urges for a real mission, with a real Falcon military airplane. Really upset with his current assignment, he sees himself as an impostor, as no real danger is present when he is safely inside his cabin, controlling a drone that is literally miles away distant, executing missions by remote control, never experiencing the risks and tensions of a real war. After his shift, he drives his car back to his home, to his boring obligations as a husband and a father, and this routine, day by day, takes a toll on him. Not being involved in a real war is an obvious major blow to his sense of purpose, and as a result, Egan began to drink heavily, as a measure to wash away his frustrations.
In the Air Force Base, the situation gets worse when his superior, Lieutenant Colonel Jack Johns (Bruce Greenwood) tells his Airstrike team to obey CIA agents, that are eager to use their abilities to strike targets in Africa and Yemen. After a few missions, it became obvious that they are killing innocent civilians, that had nothing to do with the war on the terror. With the CIA agents only saying that this is “normal” collateral damage, to Thomas and his colleagues, it gets increasingly obvious that something very wrong is going on.
Unable to disobey the orders, Thomas begin to drink more and more, and his domestic life starts to fall apart. When his wife leave with their children, Thomas feels horribly distressed, and can ‘t stand anymore at the hard ordeals of his life. Losing his grip on sanity, he starts to feel more and more unsettled, and free to break all the rules. In the end, one good act of generosity, towards a Muslim woman that was about to be raped, makes redemption seems a place not too far away from home.
Good Kill is an awesome movie. All things work well from the beginning! A great plot, and a decently developed story, continually evolving over its own controversial theme, breaks boundaries, and work really well, in a rhythm that involves the spectator from the very first second. Ethan Hawke is an amazing actor, that captures the very essence of an individual, militarized to his bones, that feels deeply disturbed for the lack of action in his life. With a military personality that follows strict rules and discipline, Major Thomas Egan is a man ready to give his own life for the sake of a real mission. The safety in operating drones, by itself, causes a great damage to his military objectives, and the lack of adrenaline makes boredom, and safe assignments feel like life is passing by him, with nothing fulfilling happening. His domestic life also can’t be a great source of happiness to him, as he feels empty, distant, and unsatisfied.
With a great sense of humanity, and a very good look inside the misdemeanors and contingencies on the US war on terror, Good Kill is a perfect movie, in every possible aspect. With a plot that never take for granted the difficulties presented by the scenario conscience versus orders, the stress inflicted on a man constantly violating his own principles for the sake of ferocious blind obedience is perfectly aligned with the lack of personal fulfillment, when you really are able to do what you love the most in life, and at the same time, what they ask you to do in the job of your dreams aren’t exactly what you were expecting to achieve.
Perfect plot, great acting, and a very challenging script, all set up in an extremely controversial theme, very hard to all patriot Americans. If you want to see Ethan Hawke in his best shape, you have to see Good Kill. You will not regret! It’s a marvelous and incredible movie. Deserves a five stars score, without a doubt! Great and wonderful masterpiece!
Wagner
With a great sense of humanity, and a very good look inside the misdemeanors and contingencies on the US war on terror, Good Kill is a perfect movie, in every possible aspect. With a plot that never take for granted the difficulties presented by the scenario conscience versus orders, the stress inflicted on a man constantly violating his own principles for the sake of ferocious blind obedience is perfectly aligned with the lack of personal fulfillment, when you really are able to do what you love the most in life, and at the same time, what they ask you to do in the job of your dreams aren’t exactly what you were expecting to achieve.
Perfect plot, great acting, and a very challenging script, all set up in an extremely controversial theme, very hard to all patriot Americans. If you want to see Ethan Hawke in his best shape, you have to see Good Kill. You will not regret! It’s a marvelous and incredible movie. Deserves a five stars score, without a doubt! Great and wonderful masterpiece!
Wagner
