If you’re going to make an action flick that’s an unapologetic throwback to the macho movies of the ’80s and ’90s, who better to lead it than Jack Reacher himself, Alan Ritchson? Netflix’s War Machine is the perfect vehicle for the massive Ritchson, who has never looked more like a young Arnold Schwarzenegger than in this Predator-esque military sci-fi thriller. Directed by Patrick Hughes, no stranger to exactly this type of movie from his work on Expendables 3, it’s a film that knows exactly what it wants to be and what its audience wants. Big muscles, big explosions, a squad of soldiers battling a giant mechanized menace; it’s all here and it’s gloriously fun.
At first, you might think War Machine is a completely different movie, perhaps something in the vein of Full Metal Jacket. Ritchson’s unnamed soldier, known only as 81, is an Army Ranger recruit going through a brutal selection program. The training sequences are themselves a blast to watch, as 81 and the other recruits endure grueling tests of endurance that typically would bond the soldiers together. Blood, deep water, angry drill sergeants shouting orders, and the humiliation of those who wash out of the program. But 81 keeps everyone at a distance; his superhuman feats gets the others talking but he refuses to answer any questions. It’s all connected to 81’s tragic past, and a brother (played by Jai Courtney) he made a solemn promise to.
War Machine lives up to its name in more ways than one. 81 and the small group to make it to the final test come under assault by a heavily armed robotic monstrosity, something that looks like it comes from the Terminator‘s broken future dominated by Skynet. From here, the film explodes into high-octane action, with the soldiers unloading every weapon at their disposal and barely making a dent. It’s unclear what the Hell this thing is, and the film doesn’t bother trying to tell us. Who cares, anyway? Whether it’s some kind of alien ship, or a government weapon gone rogue, it doesn’t matter. It’s hunting them, and it isn’t going to let up until everyone is dead.
We’ve seen Ritchson’s physicality a lot in the past, but he’s never done anything like War Machine. In tough, rugged terrain that is itself a danger, Ritchson is constantly on the move, running, gunning, shouting, ducking for cover. This entire shoot had to be one Hell of an endurance test for Ritchson and the entire cast, which includes Stephan James, Keiynan Lonsdale, Daniel Webber, Heather Burridge, and Jake Ryan, along with Dennis Quaid and Esai Morales as the commanders back on base.
Hughes understands how to craft this kind of chaotic spectacle, and War Machine is some of the best work he’s done. The action is big, loud, and slickly choreographed without looking too glossy. You can feel the heat of the lasers ripping through the air, taste the blood and sweat, feel the exhaustion of soldiers being stalked like prey.
While things get a bit repetitive after a while (you see one soldier get vaporized you’ve seen ’em all), War Machine is full throttle from start to finish. It’s the kind of movie you don’t get to see in theaters much anymore, which is a shame because this one would kick ass on the big screen. Here’s hoping that if it proves to be a hit with action junkies as it should, we’ll get to see Ritchson recruited for more War Machine in a sequel.
War Machine streams to Netflix on March 6th.
