Good Kill (2014)

A family man begins to question the ethics of his job as a drone pilot.

Director:

Andrew Niccol

Writer:

Andrew Niccol

Stars:

Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Fatima El Bahraouy	...	The Woman (as Fatima El Bahraquy)
El Khttabi Abdelouahab	...	The Boy
Ethan Hawke	...	Major Thomas Egan
Bruce Greenwood	...	Lt. Colonel Jack Johns
Jake Abel	...	M.I.C. Joseph Zimmer
Ryan Montano	...	Airman Roy Carlos
Dylan Kenin	...	Capt. Ed Christie
Stafford Douglas	...	Billy
Zion Rain Leyba	...	Travis Egan
January Jones	...	Molly Egan
Sachie Capitani	...	Jesse Egan
Michael Sheets	...	Danny
Zoë Kravitz	...	Airman Vera Suarez
Ross Shaw	...	Lt. Drier
Chakir Faiz	...	The Man

Storyline

A Las Vegas-based fighter pilot turned drone pilot fights the Taliban by remote control for 12 hours a day, then goes home to the suburbs and feuds with his wife and kids for the other 12. But the pilot is starting to question the mission. Is he creating more terrorists than he's killing? Is he fighting a war without end.

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Plot Keywords:

drone pilot | taliban | drone attack | collateral damage | moral dilemma | 

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Taglines:

If you never face your enemy, how can you face yourself.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violent content including a rape, language, and some sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 May 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Máxima precisión

Filming Locations:

Morocco

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,005, 26 June 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$316,842, 28 June 2015

Company Credits

Production Co:

Voltage Pictures, Dune Films, Dune Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Air Combat Command patch worn on the flightsuits is not correct. The actual patch has the blue field on top and the red field on the bottom. Also, the sword on the actual patch is pointed downward.

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Goofs

In one scene, Major Egan speaks of enjoying the fear of flying combat missions. That includes the fear and danger of making a landing on the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at night. However, Major Egan is in the Air Force and they do not land on aircraft carriers; only Navy or Marine aviators do. Also, the plane Major Egan flies, the F-16 Fighting Falcon, does not land on aircraft carriers in any case.

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Quotes

Tom Egan: Another one of my jobs is damage assessment. Which is our way of saying counting the dead. Which is not as easy as it sounds. Beacause a lot of times the bodies are in so small pieces.

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Connections

Featured in Projector: Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2/Good Kill (2015)

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Soundtracks

Two Tickets To Paradise
Written by Eddie Money

User Reviews

U.S. Chair Force

Drones with Hellfire missiles lurk for entire days over selected targets around the world. Those who control the drones, sitting in air conditioned shipping containers near Las Vegas, are close enough sometimes to see the expressions on the faces of people as the missiles strike. The film explores complications involved in the strikes including; how easy it is for innocents to end up among the dead, difficulties in determining when and who to hit, confused chains of command, how easy it is to make mistakes or corrupt the process, and how we might feel if we were in the shoes of our targets. Major Thomas Egan (Ethan Hawke) is a vodka guzzling former pilot who laments how the U.S. Air Force has become the "U.S. Chair Force." We follow him in the office and at home as he sinks into depression, indifference and fatigue, and he still controls the trigger that determines, somewhat shakily at times, who lives or dies. While the plot could use some additional creativity and depth, and the acting is somewhat shallow, the film explores a fascinating subject. Actual strikes, from Wikileaks, add an extra dose or realism. Seen at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival.