Instead See Kubruck's DR. STRANGELOVE

Rating: 4/10 (30 May 2017)

There are definitely some good laughs in here grounded in our well-known but sad history in Vietnam and Iran. This Netflix movie takes place in Afghanistan with none other than Brad Putt as the commanding general, full of himself. The general is patterned after a Westmoreland-type character who thinks that the sheer power of his charisma will win the day. We then see how badly this approach works in the Mideast, where true leadership among the natives is simply nonexistent (Ben Kingsley plays an Afghan leader more concerned with his new TV and remaining unavailable than he does leading his country). This movie asks the question: If the natives won't even support their own leader, how are they going to follow an American General? There's no action in this movie, so it's basically a personality driven comedy. In Kubrick's STRANGELOVE, there's a better balance of suspense, action, and comedic personalities. See it instead if you want to see a movie about the futility of war and the dangers of placing too much power in the hands of the military.