Netflix and Brad Pitt go all in but miss their mark.

With their thirst for world domination clearly unquenched, Netflix have gradually begun to shift their crosshairs from a television landscape that they now all but rule, towards a film industry terrified and unprepared for a war that lies before them. Having long since grown beyond its streaming platform confines, the online content behemoth has swiftly developed from mere exhibitor into one the world’s premiere developers and producers of top quality programming and the fun doesn’t stop there, folks.

Unsatisfied with conquering television, Netflix have upped their movie game considerably in recent years; developing, producing, and exhibiting their own films free from the confines of traditional studio methods. It’s a bold move for sure, but one that’s earnt them a fair amount of shade from an industry that struggles to accept their controversial, new-fangled methods.

The road to fame and fortune is never a smooth one, however, and what started with the impressive Beasts of No Nation, soon hit the buffers with a string of unfathomably dire Adam Sandler comedies, but with the release of War Machine, things finally appear to be clicking up a gear. To pull in an A-lister the size of Brad Pitt is small thing and, for the first time since the company’s inception, it appears a true statement of intent has been made. Riding the coattails of Pitt’s star power is a risky game to play though, so it’s crucial that Netflix’s intent is backed by genuine quality if their lofty ambitions are to be fulfilled.

As the war in Afghanistan lumbers to its messy end, tough-as-nails General Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt) and his team are shipped in to see things through to their conclusion. As Gen. McMahon (‘The Glenninator’ to his subordinates) settles into his new job, it soon becomes clear to everyone but the man himself that he has been set an impossible task. Seemingly oblivious to the unwinnable mission at hand, and to the chagrin of his superiors, McMahon draws up personalised counterinsurgency plans and ploughs on regardless. Tailed by a Rolling Stone journalist on the bring of a scathing exposé, the ultra-confident general dives, head-first into the dark heart of an unpopular war, with scant regard for its futility.

There are gambles and then there are gambles and War Machine is one hell of gamble for all involved. Like General McMahon himself, both Brad Pitt and Netflix have become renowned for their risk taking, unfazed by the consequences, but this is a big one by anyone’s measure. With Netflix picking up the distribution rights for a reported $60 million, it’s a typically boisterous power move on behalf of the streaming giant, but one that carries a great deal of jeopardy. With such an enormous outlay on your first major feature, you’d expect the final product to be a little easier to digest but, while their dedication to outside-the-box thinking is commendable, things doesn’t quite pay off.

Set amidst an overwhelmingly unpopular, failed war; War Machine awkwardly straddles genres, unconvincing in its approach to either and likely to miss the mark with many viewers. With or without Brad Pitt in tow, this feels like an incredibly odd way to lay down the foundations for your brave new cinematic world, but that’s precisely where we stand, and you must applaud Netflix for the courage in the convictions, if nothing else.

Based on the late Michael Hastings book The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan, War Machine strikes an odd balance between broad satirical musings and harsh realities that never fully mesh. The film consistently feels ill at ease with itself, beginning somewhere in the region of M*A*S*H, before meandering along with the absurdist satire of Dr Strangelove, before a late Black Hawk Down flourish of bullets and bloodshed.

The scattergun approach is more than a little confusing in its execution and, as the perfect reflection of the war it portrays, War Machine ambles around aimlessly, uncomfortable with its surroundings and completely unsure of how to conduct itself. The setup is a farcical one and, while the film contains undoubted potential to pour scorn on a war ripe for the satirical taking, it quickly dissolves into something far less substance.

While the situation in Afghanistan is an infinitely complex one, War Machine’s plot is anything but. With the war this controversial and so painfully fresh in the memory, the goal was wide open to get stuck in with plot that could really sink its teeth into it. What we have, however, is a rather lukewarm, meandering ramble; so utterly lacking in conviction that it’s true purpose is never clear.

Setting the scene well enough, War Machine builds strongly, promising a unique take on the folly of war with McMahon as its unique protagonist, but it all that potential soon melts away to reveal a film with little to say. Plunging us straight into the heart of the war, War Machine is only just getting started when we’re abruptly pulled away from the front line and dumped on a bizarre European road trip with little purpose outside of endless one-note conversation on the merits (or otherwise) of the war they’ve been thrown into. From this point on, the film offers up little more than a string ambling dialogues that go nowhere in particular and the lack of impetus leaves War Machine dragging its feet badly; crying out for a dose of energy that not even the final act’s combat sequence can provide.

Disappearing behind the rubbery skin of General Glen McMahon, Brad Pitt looks to add a little purpose and potency to War Machine’s attack with a performance that walks a thin line between admirable commitment and unnecessary caricature. Although he succeeds in putting a rocket up the film’s behind just when it needs it most; Pitt’s bizarre, off-kilter act appears to sum up War Machine’s wildly unbalanced nature.

Only loosely based on retired army general, Stanley A. McChrystal, McMahon’s mannerisms bear little resemblance to his real-life counterpart and, without the constraints of impersonation, Pitt has seemingly given himself carte blanche to go to town on the role. And go to town he does. All cock-eyed and stiff-limbed, Pitt’s performance is equal parts Patton and Popeye; a cartoonish and bizarre creation that skirts dangerously close to overkill, but the star’s charm and charisma ultimately shine though, pulling the film back from the brink of banality.

In a film that feels oddly flat, Pitt’s character comes stuffed with enough idiosyncratic ticks and humorously quirky mannerisms to drag the film through even its roughest patches. In an era of diminishing star power, there are precious few actors that possess the capacity to singlehandedly carry a film but, if nothing else, War Machine goes a long way in proving that Brad Pitt still has it within himself to own a film.

The war in Afghanistan was troubling for many, many reasons and a conflict widely derided from all corners of the political spectrum. Seen by many as the epitome of American’s gung-ho approach to world policing, this is a conflict as fascinating as it is troubling and, much like the Vietnam War, it’s many controversies make it ripe for cinematic engagement.

On the face of it, War Machine possesses mountains of potential to provide a new slant on the War in Afghanistan and the west’s often disastrous approach to foreign conflict but, when it all adds up to so little of consequence, the disappointment is palpable. Lacking any significant satirical bite, the film represents a huge opportunity missed for Netflix to follow through in its convictions while flexing a little muscle in its war against the Hollywood elite.

When Netflix coughed up the thick end of $60 million for War Machine, I’m sure they’d have expected far greater returns than what they received. Perpetually indecisive in its attack and lacking any significant bite, War Machine falls flat in its admirable attempt to engage in such a maligned conflict. While it partially works as a meditation of the folly and futility a war, as the scathing satire it’s billed to be, it’s left wanting. Brad Pitt’s full-spirited and alluringly oddball performance manages to rescue War Machine from absolute annihilation, however, the film’s bland approach spectacularly fails to hit its target. Although Netflix’s ambition and proclivity for risk is admirable, War Machine is a clear misfire and, if they are to truly compete with the Hollywood big boys, the streaming giant will have to reassess its strategy significantly.