Nice try but doesn't quite hit the mark

Rating: 7/10 (6 June 2017)

This is a well cast satire with Brad Pitt looking like a young George Peppard playing Hannibal Smith. And that's part of the problem. This film is all Brad Pitt and the writers have given him some pretty thin material.
The Film can't make its mind up whether it is a satire based on real events or a docu drama. It's brave of a US film maker to produce a piece that shows the stupidity of US involvement in overseas wars, how they don't learn from mistakes and how no matter what happens, PR is paramount and never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Whatever the press releases say, this is based on real events and although the real military personnel might have lived and acted differently, the involvement of Rolling Stone Magazine, the disconnect by the White House, and the difficulties faced by troops on the ground and the Afghan population are well portrayed.
However, there is a sharpness missing and the laughs of something like Bluestone 42 are missing. I think this is worth watching but it feels too long and at the end of it I wasn't left wanting to watch it again, or with any moral questions.