Netflix’s War Machine proudly flies its dad-action flag with a Transformers-like, ominous twist that is nothing but a rush of pure adrenaline. Yes, this can be, and is, your standard action flick. However, what the movie has that most fans wish for sits at the center of this streaming, high-octane thriller: Reacher star Alan Ritchson, who more than holds his own as an action star.
Ritchson elevates the material here, which plays like Transformers meets Lone Survivor. There is little Ritchson cannot do in Hollywood. If you search for him on YouTube, he can sing like an angel. He has perfect comic timing, dating back to his days on the cult classic Blue Mountain State. Then, of course, there are his stoic, brooding action turns in Prime Video’s signature series based on Lee Child’s creation.
In War Machine, the hulking human delivers something different. Ritchson, yes, is brooding, but there is a pathos to his performance, intense, somber, and laser-focused, that calls back to the tall, quiet type of old-fashioned action star like John Wayne, Gary Cooper, and Steve McQueen. With this new streaming hit, Ritchson places himself front and center as the next great action star.
The story follows an Army Ranger recruit known only as “81” (Ritchson), who has just made the cutoff to join the elite Special Forces program. A former 12 Bravo combat engineer with the 213th CSSB supporting the 3rd Brigade of the 10th Mountain Division, also known as the Spartans, 81 immediately earns the respect of Master Sergeant Hughes (Patrick Hughes) and his fellow Ranger candidates.
81 also earned a Silver Star as the surviving member of his unit and the squad he supported. Before his team is hit by enemy missiles and artillery, he is talking to his little brother (Jai Courtney), the squad leader he was assigned to support and whom he affectionately calls “moron.” His brother reminds him of the promise they made to attend Army Ranger School together if one of them was accepted—something 81 had decided he was too old for.
However, his little brother convinces him. As soon as their tour is over, they will join together. Tragically, 81’s brother is killed in the firefight, with 81 carrying him on his back through the scorching desert. Still bound by that promise, he joins the Ranger program anyway, without seeing the mandated Army psychologist or dealing with his grief, something Army Sgt. Maj. Sheridan (Dennis Quaid) and Officer Torres (Esai Morales) are deeply concerned about.
That is the setup, and things take a wild turn in Patrick Hughes’ (The Expendables 3) dystopian invasion thriller. Yes, I haven’t described what happens at the start of the second act, something Hughes and James Beaufort’s script does a remarkable job of camouflaging. Now, if you watch the trailer (or read a synopsis), you know what happens. However, the layered backstory of 81 keeps your attention, allowing the surprises to land with kinetic energy and visceral impact.
Most of the characters are paper-thin, almost stock figures, and the script has no trouble discarding them when the action heats up. That includes Quaid and Morales, who are clearly there for a payday and perhaps to secure future roles in a potential franchise. A good young actor, Stephen James, plays “7,” but he spends most of the film on his back due to battlefield injuries. We would have liked to see him given a meatier role in a film like this.
However, if you are looking for nuance, most of War Machine won’t be for you. This is an intense action picture, full throttle, that hardly ever lets up from the second act until the final few moments. If you are looking for some thrills and a magnetic screen performance to hang your hat on, Ritchson more than delivers the goods, scratching that popcorn-spectacle itch for fans of the genre. At the very least, the movie is nothing short of entertaining, which is saying something nowadays.
You can stream War Machine exclusively on Netflix starting March 6th!
Alan Ritchson is electric in War Machine, a kinetic and visceral high-octane action thriller!
I am a film and television critic and a proud member of the Las Vegas Film Critic Society, Critics Choice Association, and a 🍅 Rotten Tomatoes/Tomato meter approved. However, I still put on my pants one leg at a time, and that’s when I often stumble over. When I’m not writing about movies, I patiently wait for the next Pearl Jam album and pass the time by scratching my wife’s back on Sunday afternoons while she watches endless reruns of California Dreams. I was proclaimed the smartest reviewer alive by actor Jason Isaacs, but I chose to ignore his obvious sarcasm. You can also find my work on InSession Film, Ready Steady Cut, Hidden Remote, Music City Drive-In, Nerd Alert, and Film Focus Online.
