‘War Machine’ movie review: Alan Ritchson bulldozes through an efficient sci-fi thriller

Alan Ritchson powers through 'War Machine', a lean sci-fi action thriller on Netflix. A competent, Reacher-style chase adventure with nonstop tension and solid set pieces

Sometimes it is nice to watch a Terminator-type chase film, where a remorseless villain hunts down the protagonist for the sole purpose of killing them. The lack of back story for the villain feels liberating. War Machine is that kind of lean, mean, fighting machine. After the premise is set out, the film is off and running and having great fun doing it.

In Kandahar, Afghanistan, an unnamed (yet another, after Vladimir’s M!) Staff Sergeant (Alan Ritchson) arrives to help his brother’s (Jai Courtney) stranded convoy. An attack soon after by the Taliban kills everyone except the Staff Sergeant and his brother, who is gravely injured. With a badly hurt knee, the Staff Sergeant carries his brother before passing out a few metres from the base.

Two years later, at the Ranger Training Base in Colorado (not Fort Benning), the Staff Sergeant applies for the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) to be part of the 75th Ranger Regiment — something the Staff Sergeant and his brother had discussed before the Taliban attack.

Sergeant Major Sheridan (Dennis Quaid) and First Sergeant Torres (Esai Morales) tell the soldiers to leave their names (and by implication, their lives) behind. Each recruit is given a number; the Staff Sergeant is 81. The programme is tough and goes for over eight weeks where scores of candidates are declared “non-select” and asked to leave.

A still from the film | Photo Credit: Netflix

While doing well in training, 81 is aloof and does not bond with his fellow recruits, repeatedly refusing a leadership role. There are whispers of 81 carrying his brother back to base from the battlefield and being given a medal for his bravery.