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Gaming can be so very exciting until…Tom Egan
(Hawke) is an ace pilot who has been “promoted” to drone service where he goes
into an air conditioned cubicle in Las Vegas and wages war in Afghanistan or
wherever. Writer/director for this
film, Andrew Niccol, wants us to learn about the downside of “armchair”
warfare. Egan has already been
missing the touch/feel/thrill of a physical plane beneath him when orders come
from above that his unit would now be under the control and direction of the
CIA rather than the army. This
constitutes a change in strike orders from one based on assuring that the
target is a bad guy before striking to one that is based on a “pattern of
behavior.” That is, the kill
target would be based on analysis at a higher level of abstraction with less
concern for collateral damage.
Egan lives in Las Vegas in a sterile
neighborhood (no vegetation to be seen) with a beautiful wife (Jones) and
lovely children. Yes, he can serve
his country in his cubicle and go home to his family afterwards just like in a
regular job. But there are two
problems—one is that his job is less experiential and more mechanical, and the
other is the moral dilemma presented by the CIA’s practice of accepting
collateral damage as no big deal.
Hawke the actor fits the role well as a
brooding, taciturn, creative guy with principles, and one who is comfortable
with authority (Greenwood as his immediate superior) until it (the CIA) offends
his basic sense of justice and right.
Presented in direct contrast is fellow drone operator Zimmer (Abel), who
is happy not thinking much about what he is doing from a moral standpoint and
rather enjoys the aggression of it and going home to his “vanilla” environment
at night. Caught between Egan, the
CIA, and Zimmer, Jack (Greenwood) toes the middle ground as best he can while
retaining his job. He is tested in
this role as much as Egan is in his.
Jones as a housewife and Kravitz as a drone co-operator effectively
portray women in these situations who generally play a minor role in relation
to the men, but here, each clearly exemplifies the female point of view.
Andrew Niccol, with significant
writing/directing experience behind him (Lord
of War, The Truman Show, Gattaca), again has an important contemporary
social issue he wants us to think about.
The use of drones is controversial, with the pros seeing it as much more
precise—although not perfect—in taking out the leaders of groups bearing
murderous ill will toward the U.S.
The cons regard it as one of the reasons people in other parts of the
world hate us so much. I would be
interested in knowing how much comparative collateral damage is done by drone
attacks versus bombing from an airplane.
Neither is free from that downside. Certainly, Niccol’s point is well made about the apparent
unthinking, uncaring manner in which the CIA in this story ordered the drone
attacks.
Musician Christophe Beck and cinematographer Amir
Mokri both render their crafts well in enhancing the visual and auditory
aspects of Good Kill.
The Conundrum of “Good Kill”
Grade: B By Donna
R. Copeland
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