War Machine ( film ) - wikipedia War Machine ( film ) War Machine Film poster Directed by David Michôd Produced by Brad Pitt Dede Gardner Jeremy Kleiner Ted Sarandos Ian Bryce Written by David Michôd Based on The Operators by Michael Hastings Starring Brad Pitt Emory Cohen RJ Cyler Topher Grace Anthony Michael Hall Anthony Hayes John Magaro Scoot McNairy Will Poulter Alan Ruck Lakeith Stanfield Josh Stewart Meg Tilly Tilda Swinton Ben Kingsley Tim Downie Music by Nick Cave Warren Ellis Cinematography Dariusz Wolski Edited by Peter Sciberras Production company Plan B Entertainment Blue - Tongue Films Distributed by Netflix Release date May 24, 2017 ( 2017 - 05 - 24 ) ( High Street Phoenix ) May 26, 2017 ( 2017 - 05 - 26 ) ( United States ) Running time 122 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $60 million War Machine is a 2017 American satirical war film directed and written by David Michôd, based on the nonfiction book The Operators by Michael Hastings. It is a fictionalized version of the events in the book based on United States Army General Stanley McChrystal. The film stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Michael Hall, Anthony Hayes, Topher Grace, Will Poulter, Tilda Swinton and Ben Kingsley. It was released on Netflix on May 26, 2017. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Filming 4 Release 4.1 Marketing 4.2 Critical response 5 References 6 External links Plot In the summer of 2009, four - star General Glen McMahon, having won renown for his effective leadership in Iraq, is sent to Afghanistan to prepare an assessment so that the government can end the ongoing war. He is given wide latitudes to write it, on the sole condition that he not request more troops. McMahon and his staff, particularly his right hand man Major General Greg Pulver, are united in their belief that the war can be won, and decide to recommend that President Obama authorize a surge of 40,000 additional troops to secure Helmand province in order to stabilize the country. However, the Secretary of State informs McMahon that his report will not be reviewed until after the upcoming presidential election. Captain Badi Basim, a member of the Afghan National Army, joins McMahon 's staff as a `` representative '' of the Afghan people. He arrives, however, in civilian clothes as he would rather not wear his uniform, which he has in a bag. Meanwhile, McMahon is informed that, due to alleged irregularities in the counting of votes, a runoff election will have to be held, delaying the review of the assessment further. Fed up, McMahon secretly leaks the assessment to the Washington Post and organizes an interview with 60 Minutes, during which he reveals that, in the last seventy days, he has only been granted one meeting with the President. In response, the government announces that they will send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, and that all U.S. and coalition forces in the country will leave in 18 months. To gather the remaining 10,000 troops needed for his strategy to work, McMahon and his men head to Paris to negotiate with the other coalition nations. In Paris, McMahon learns that the President is passing through, and wishes to meet with him. The ambassador to Afghanistan warns McMahon that he needs to understand his position : if he continues to anger the President, he will be fired for insubordination. The President, however, merely shakes his hand as he climbs aboard Air Force One due to time constraints, and McMahon and his staff attend a dinner in McMahon 's honor, accompanied by Rolling Stone writer Sean Cullen, who intends to write a feature story about his performance for an upcoming issue. The next day, during their anniversary dinner, McMahon 's wife Jeanie confronts him about how much time he 's spending fighting abroad instead of being with his family back home. While en route to Berlin with McMahon 's staff to continue negotiations, Cullen observes their behavior and concludes that they are arrogant and seem to care little about the growing public perception that the war is costly and wasteful. At a conference to discuss his strategy, McMahon is confronted by a German official who is skeptical of his approach and suggests that McMahon 's plans would only lead to more losses. Nevertheless, both the Germans and the French agree to furnish the troops needed for his planned offensive, codenamed `` Operation Moshtarak '', to begin, with Afghan President Hamid Karzai 's approval. The operation launches, but soon runs into trouble when several civilians are accidentally killed against McMahon 's instructions. When he holds a public meeting to explain the incident, the crowd grows hostile and demands that he and his troops leave. Worse, McMahon learns that Cullen 's article has been published, and paints a negative picture of him and his staff as openly speaking against the President and mishandling the war effort. Knowing that he will be fired for his actions, McMahon returns to Washington and later takes a job as a civilian consultant. In the aftermath, Cullen ponders the consequences of his article, noting that he wished McMahon 's fall would finally convince the government to stop invading foreign countries and end the war in Afghanistan. Instead, however, the government simply assigns a new general to replace McMahon. Cast McMahon 's Entourage Brad Pitt as General Glen McMahon, a character based on General Stanley McChrystal. He is portrayed as an accomplished general with degrees from West Point and Yale brought in to bring a resolution to the conflict in Afghanistan. Anthony Hayes as Lieutenant Commander Pete Duckman, a Navy SEAL and member of McMahon 's staff, possibly based on Navy SEAL David Silverman. Emory Cohen as Sergeant Willy Dunne, General McMahon 's body man. RJ Cyler as USAF Tech Sergeant Andy Moon, information technology support assistant. Daniel Betts as USN Rear Admiral Simon Ball, McMahon 's Senior Public Affairs Officer. Topher Grace as Matt Little, a former lobbyist turned McMahon 's civilian media adviser, based loosely on Duncan Boothby. Anthony Michael Hall as Major General Greg Pulver, ISAF Director of Intelligence, loosely based on Lt. General Michael Flynn. John Magaro as Colonel Cory Staggart, an Army Ranger and General McMahon 's executive officer. Aymen Hamdouchi as Captain Badi Basim, a scholarly Afghan National Army officer who becomes General McMahon 's aide - de-camp. Scoot McNairy as Sean Cullen, a cynical journalist for Rolling Stone who accompanies McMahon and his staff and acts as narrator throughout the film, loosely based on author Michael Hastings. Meg Tilly as Jeanie McMahon, Glen McMahon 's wife. U.S. Diplomats Sian Thomas as United States Secretary of State Edith May, based on Hillary Rodham Clinton Alan Ruck as Pat McKinnon, United States Ambassador to Afghanistan, loosely based on Karl Eikenberry. Nicholas Jones as Dick Waddle, loosely based on Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke. Griffin Dunne as Ray Canucci, a United States Department of State senior official. Politicians Ben Kingsley as President Hamid Karzai Reggie Brown as President Barack Obama Tilda Swinton as a German politician Combat Marines Will Poulter as Sergeant Ricky Ortega, a Marine Corps infantry squad leader. Lakeith Stanfield as Corporal Billy Cole, a disillusioned Marine and member of Ortega 's squad. Josh Stewart as Captain Dick North, a Marine Corps officer. Other Rufus Wright as British Army Lieutenant Colonel Frank Groom Georgina Rylance as Lydia Cunningham, 60 Minutes journalist. Russell Crowe as General Bob White ( uncredited ), General Glen McMahon 's replacement similar to David Petraeus. Production On April 27, 2012, it was announced that New Regency and Plan B Entertainment had acquired the film adaptation rights to the 2011 best seller non-fiction book The Operators by Michael Hastings. On April 14, 2014, David Michôd was hired to write and direct the film based on the war in Afghanistan. Brad Pitt was attached to star as General Stanley McChrystal and produce the film along with his Plan B partners Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, while the film would be financed by New Regency and RatPac Entertainment. On June 8, 2015, Netflix acquired the distribution rights to the film which was re-titled War Machine, while Ian Bryce also came on board to produce the film along with others. On June 17, The Hollywood Reporter revealed that there had been a budget issue between New Regency and RatPac with producers of Plan B, and thus Netflix had stepped in to buy the distribution rights for $60 million. On August 4, 2015, Emory Cohen was cast in the film to play a member of Gen. McChrystal 's staff. On August 10, 2015, Topher Grace joined the film to play Gen. Stanley McChrystal 's civilian press adviser. On August 11, 2015, John Magaro signed on to play Cory Burger, a special ops soldier and close advisor to General McMahon. On August 14, 2015, Scoot McNairy joined the cast of the film. On August 19, 2015, Anthony Michael Hall was added to the cast to play General Hank Pulver, loosely based on General Mike Flynn. On August 20, 2015, Keith Stanfield signed on to the film. The same day, Will Poulter also joined the cast for an unspecified role. On August 25, Anthony Hayes joined the film. On October 23, 2015, TheWrap revealed that RJ Cyler had also joined the film. Alan Ruck was spotted filming. Meg Tilly was also spotted but her casting was not then officially confirmed. It was later reported Ben Kingsley and Tilda Swinton had been cast. Filming Principal photography on the film began in mid-October 2015 in London. Later on October 19, filming began in Abu Dhabi ; the city was transformed into Kabul, streets into a military fortress, an old building as an American Embassy in Kabul, and a street as a Palestinian border crossing. Filming also took place at the Abu Dhabi International Airport in November. Some scenes were also filmed at the Dunsfold Aerodrome in Surrey, England. In mid-November 2015, while final scenes were being shot, actors were spotted filming in Ras al - Khaimah and the city 's old neighborhood was transformed into Pakistani villages and a military base - camp. Release The film was released on Netflix on May 26, 2017. Marketing Brad Pitt visited Mumbai to promote the film and attended a special screening at PVR High Street Phoenix on May 24, 2017. He also met Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan to promote War Machine. Critical response On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 49 % based on 83 reviews, and an average rating of 5.7 / 10. The site 's critical consensus reads, `` War Machine 's uneven execution keeps its fact - based story from cleanly hitting its targets, but those flaws are frequently offset by sharp wit and solid acting. '' On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a 56 out of 100 score, based on 30 critics, indicating `` mixed or average reviews ''. References ^ Jump up to : McClintock, Pamela ( June 17, 2015 ). `` Whoa : Netflix Actually Paid $60 M for Brad Pitt 's Politically Charged Military Satire ''. The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Jump up ^ McGinley, Michael ( May 3, 2017 ). `` Brad Pitt Talks Divorce, Quitting Drinking, and Becoming a Better Man ''. GQ. Retrieved May 6, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Brad Pitt prepares for battle in shahid's.com ' War Machine ' trailer ''. CNET. Jump up ^ Grow, Kory ( March 30, 2017 ). `` See Brad Pitt Play Runaway General in ' War Machine ' Trailer ''. Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 6, 2017. Jump up ^ Crothers, Jennifer ( 31 March 2017 ). `` The trailer for Brad Pitt 's Netflix film War Machine is here ''. The Mirror. Retrieved April 6, 2017. Jump up ^ `` EXCLUSIVE : Brad Pitt Looks Like a Ken Doll on the Set of Upcoming Netflix Drama ' War Machine ' -- See the Pics ! ''. etonline.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017. ^ Jump up to : Fleming Jr, Mike ( April 14, 2014 ). `` New Regency Taps Brad Pitt, David Michod To Tell Gen. Stanley McChrystal Afghan Story ' The Operators ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Jump up ^ Mancini, Vince. `` Brad Pitt And David Michôd 's ' War Machine ' Is An Absurd, Tragicomic Home Run ''. ^ Jump up to : Kroll, Justin ( August 25, 2015 ). `` ' Animal Kingdom ' Actor Anthony Hayes Joins ' War Machine ' With Brad Pitt ( EXCLUSIVE ) ''. Variety. Retrieved October 22, 2015. ^ Jump up to : A. Lincoln, Ross ( August 4, 2015 ). `` Joey King Will Be ' Going In Style ' ; Emory Cohen Enlists In Netflix 's ' War Machine ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 21, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Sneider, Jeff ( October 23, 2015 ). `` ' Power Rangers ' Movie Adds ' Me and Earl and the Dying Girl ' Star RJ Cyler as Blue Ranger ''. thewrap.com. Retrieved November 17, 2015. ^ Jump up to : McNary, Dave ( August 10, 2015 ). `` Topher Grace Joins Brad Pitt In Netflix Black Comedy ' War Machine ' ''. Variety. Retrieved August 11, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Busch, Anita ( August 19, 2015 ). `` Anthony Michael Hall Joins Brad Pitt In Netflix 's ' War Machine ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 20, 2015. ^ Jump up to : A. Lincoln, Ross ( August 11, 2015 ). `` John Magaro Joins ' War Machine ' ; Jason Fuchs Moves To ' La La Land ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Fleming Jr, Mike ( August 14, 2015 ). `` Scoot McNairy Joins Brad Pitt In Netflix 's ' War Machine ' ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 16, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Evry, Max ( November 20, 2015 ). `` Brad Pitt in Set Photos from Netflix 's War Machine ''. comingsoon.net. Retrieved November 28, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Ben Kingsley teaches Patricia Clarkson how to drive in new dramedy ''. Toronto Sun. Retrieved May 6, 2017. ^ Jump up to : McNary, Dave ( August 20, 2015 ). `` Will Poulter Joins Brad Pitt in Netflix 's ' War Machine ' ''. Variety. Retrieved August 21, 2015. ^ Jump up to : Sneider, Jeff ( August 20, 2015 ). `` ' Straight Outta Compton 's Keith Stanfield Joins Brad Pitt 's Netflix Movie ' War Machine ' ( Exclusive ) ''. thewrap.com. Retrieved August 21, 2015. Jump up ^ Taylor, Drew ( 26 May 2017 ). `` Director David Michôd on Why Netflix 's ' War Machine ' Could Never Be Made at a Studio ''. Movie Fone. Retrieved 26 May 2017. Jump up ^ Abrams, Rachel ( April 27, 2012 ). `` New Regency, Plan B dial ' Operators ' ''. Variety. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Jump up ^ Fleming Jr, Mike ( June 8, 2015 ). `` Game Changer ! Netflix Lands ' War Machine ', Brad Pitt 's Next Star Vehicle ''. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 11, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Brad Pitt pictured in full military gear as he heads to work to film scenes for movie War Machine at Dunsfold Aerodrome ''. The Daily Mail. November 13, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Netflix Acquires Charlie McDowell 's ' The Discovery ' Starring Rooney Mara, Robert Redford and Jason Segel ''. Netflix. June 13, 2016. Retrieved June 13, 2016. Jump up ^ FOX - Leonard, Boudicca ( October 17, 2015 ). `` Brad Pitt looks GREY - t as silver fox on London set of new film War Machine ''. Daily Mirror. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Silver fox Brad Pitt debuts dyed grey hairdo as he brings twins Knox and Vivienne along to the set of satirical comedy War Machine in London ''. The Daily Mail. October 18, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Brad Pitt Is the Ultimate Silver Fox on the Set of War Machine ( Move Over, Clooney ! ) ''. usmagazine.com. October 19, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Jump up ^ Sheridan, Wade ( October 15, 2015 ). `` Brad Pitt 's Netflix original movie ' War Machine ' to start production in Abu Dhabi ''. upi.com. Retrieved October 22, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` Quiet Abu Dhabi street transforms into War Machine film set ''. thenational.ae. October 21, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015. Jump up ^ `` RAK becomes celebrity zone as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie fly down to the emirate ''. thenational.ae. November 14, 2015. Retrieved November 17, 2015. Jump up ^ `` Brad Pitt prepares for battle in Netflix 's ' War Machine ' trailer ''. CNET. Jump up ^ `` Brad Pitt is in Mumbai to attend War Machine screening, to meet Shah Rukh Khan ''. The Indian Express. 24 May 2017. Retrieved 25 May 2017. Jump up ^ `` War Machine ( 2017 ) ''. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 15, 2017. Jump up ^ `` War Machine reviews ''. Metacritic. Retrieved August 15, 2017. External links War Machine on Netflix War Machine on IMDb War Machine at Rotten Tomatoes Films directed by David Michôd Ezra White, LL. B. 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Question: who is the movie war machine based on
Answer: United States Army General Stanley McChrystal.