Good Kill, 2014.
Directed by Andrew Niccol.
Starring Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoe Kravitz, Bruce Greenwood, and Jake Abel.
SYNOPSIS:
A troubled Air Force officer (Ethan Hawke) charged with directing drone strikes enters a moral minefield as the rationale for targeting purported terrorists becomes questionable.
A former fighter pilot is grounded doing drone missions from the safe confines of Los Vegas, Nevada where the military missions resemble a video game except for the images being real; he is bored being able to go home to his family every night and instead wishes to be back up in sky flying missions. Complications arise when the CIA takes control of the operation and starts making decisions which run counter to the usual military protocol. As the questionable deaths and tactics mount so does the emotional toil, particularly on the veteran airman and the new member of the team.
Leading man Ethan Hawke and writer-director Andrew Niccol are no strangers to dealing with movies that contain social commentary as they previously worked together on Gattaca (1997) and Lord of War (2005). Drone warfare is another controversial subject for the duo to add to their resumes which includes genetic profiling and blood diamonds. It is impressive and scary how clear the imagery can be from the robotic airplanes of destruction which are navigated, piloted and triggered by a group of individuals located on a different continent.
Bruce Greenwood (Double Jeopardy) does a solid job of portraying a leader who clearly sees what is going on around him but is also loyal to the military code of following orders. Ethan Hawke looks weathered and is able to convey a man whose quietness speaks volumes when it comes to frustration. January Jones (X-Men: First Class) has the thankless role of being the source of the domestic unrest and is able to avoid the usual pratfall of being annoying. Andrew Niccol is able to emphasize the strange sense of normalcy that goes along with killing targets from the comfort of one’s home which is a chilling idea. Unfortunately, rather than soar with inventiveness Good Kill tends to drone on with conventionality.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★★★/ Movie: ★★★
Originally published September 10, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
