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

Approximately an hour into the film, the team engage in an operation in Yemen. Vera Suarez says, "I've never been to Yemen, sir," and the footage cuts to the drone camera over what appears to be some kind of fortification. This is actually a movie set, constructed in Ouarzazate, Morocco for the Jerusalem sequence in Ridley Scott 's Kingdom of Heaven (2005). By agreement with the town's government it remained standing after the film wrapped, and is a popular location for productions involving similarly medieval architecture. It was recently featured during Season 4 of the TV show Game of Thrones (2011). Despite being mostly complete, you can identify it as a movie set from the shot in the film, by noting the scaffolding on the bottom of the structure revealing an incomplete wall. A battering ram prop from Kingdom of Heaven (2005) can be seen next to this scaffolding.

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Goofs

At the funeral of the Taliban commander, the men are aligned in a L-shape. In islam they should stand behind the imam, funeral in front all of them, and all face Mecca.

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Quotes

Molly Egan: You look miles away.
Tom Egan: 7000. You want to know about my job?
Molly Egan: Yeah.
Tom Egan: Well, yesterday, I was flying over a house in South Waziristan. Well, it was night when I statrted flying over their house, but they couldn't see me. Even if it was day. It was a house of a Taliban commander. He wasn't home. Inside, his wife and family were sleeping. When he did come back around dawn, the family was still inside but I wasn't sure when I'd get this chance again so I blew the house up anyway. And I watched as the ...

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Connections

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

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Soundtracks

Make Noise
Written by Ali Dee (as Ali Theodore) and Vincent Alfieri
Performed by Mikey Likes It
Courtesy of Format Entertainment

User Reviews

It sure gets you to think....

"Good Kill" reunites director Andrew Niccol with Ethan Hawke. Previously, they worked together in a terrific sci-fi film, "Gattaca". "Gattaca" was terrific because the film brought up many social issues in addition to being extremely entertaining. "Good Kill" is very similar in that it brings up many important issues and is also exceptionally well made and entertaining. It's so good, I cannot wait for these two to work together in the future.

This movie is set in Nevada back in 2010. The use of attack drones by the US military is on the increase and one of their best pilots is Tom Egan (Hawke). But since this is a new kind of war, Egan can kill Afghan rebels on the other side of the world...yet go home to his wife and kids at the end of the day. This all seems very surreal...yet folks like him are doing this every day. During all this time flying strikes for the Air Force, Egan is efficient and seems to have little compunction about what he's doing. However, when he begins to do assignments for the CIA as well, he and another member of his team, Corporal Suarez (Zoë Kravitz), start having problems because the old rules of engagement are gone. No longer will they make sure with the same level of certainty before launching missiles at human beings. Now, they're being told who to attack and when...even when there are innocent civilians nearby in some cases and in others when they aren't sure they're getting the right people.

At the same time all this is happening and Egan is having his doubts, his wife (January Jones) is also having her doubts--about their marriage. After all, Tom never talks about what he does and he's so distant. Heck, he almost never talks at all and he keeps internalizing his doubts--and in the process he pushes his lovely wife away. How is this all to end? He cannot keep drinking and stuffing his feelings down deeper and deeper forever--something has to give.

This is an excellent film in every way. The script is very well written (also by Niccole) and the film doesn't pull any punches. It shows the ugliness of war and the ambiguities. Most importantly, it shows the emotional toll on those fighting this new and very unconventional war. It also forces the viewer to think about so many issues. But what I also really like about the film is that it has mass appeal--no matter what you think about this conflict, the movie has something that will resonate with the viewer. It is a truly unique film that would appeal to those on the left, the right and middle of the political spectrum and is well worth your time.