- Director: Patrick Hughes
- Screenplay: Patrick Hughes, James Beaufort
- Cast: Alan Ritchson, Stephan James, Blake Richardson, Keiynan Lonsdale, Esai Morales, Dennis Quaid
- Cinematography: Aaron Morton
- Editing: Andy Canny
- Score: Dmitri Golovko
- Genre: Military science fiction action
- Runtime: 107 minutes
Ranger Assessment and Selection Program, ‘RASP’ for short, is the boot camp one has to complete in order to become a United States Army Ranger. It’s intense stuff and the majority of candidates are culled. After being whittled down, the last batch of potential recruits must undertake a final test if they want to succeed – it’s a simulated mission where they need to destroy an aircraft in enemy territory and rescue the pilot. The group come upon a high-tech object in a clearing, assuming it’s part of their task. How wrong they are. This machine is actually a mahoosive robot, sent crashing to our planet in a meteorite.
Alan Ritchson (‘Reacher‘) is 81. No, that’s the number assigned to his character. Although if he continues juicing, he’ll still be built like a brick shithouse at that age too. It’s for the best that the cadets aren’t given the personal touch (names, backstories); they’re all going to end up as target practice for the robot. Only 81 has any semblance of exposition; he’s an Afghan war veteran afflicted with PTSD after witnessing the death of his brother, a fellow soldier.
I found ‘War Machine’ surprisingly gripping. The ultimate battle between man and bipedal killing machine. As it travels, step by step, indefatigably across mountainous terrain, our band of nameless heroes, led by 81, must work together to disassemble this mechanical invader. A show of bravery in the face of adversity.
Certainly a nobler deed than brawling with one’s neighbour in the street.
My rating: 6 / 10
SilverScreen 