Movie Review: Good Kill (NC16)
What is right and wrong in the game we call war?
Writer-director Andrew Niccol raises this question in this drama that focuses on "joystick" killers.
Ethan Hawke plays ex-fighter pilot Egan who's doing battle in the Nevada desert - in an air-conditioned container - miles away from the Middle East desert.
As a drone fighter, all he does is move his controller, press a button and a potential threat is destroyed.
Niccol attempts to address the ethics behind such a style of combat where morals and duty are constantly sitting in a grey area.
While he can do better in the storytelling, his cast (including Bruce Greenwood and Zoe Kravitz) give controlled performances that make you empathise with their plight.
Hawke, in particular, delivers a powerful and nuanced portrayal of a patriotic soldier who knows what he does is morally wrong yet realises it is to serve a greater good.
Rating: 3/5
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