Megastar Brad Pitt makes some odd acting choices in Netflix satire War Machine but it’s worth a look

REVIEW: Brad Pitt is the big selling point as a gruff general in the Netflix satire War Machine, but some of his acting choices will leave you scratching your head

VIDEO streaming giant Netflix has big plans to change the way people experience prestige, first-run cinema.

With the major Hollywood studios now addicted to comic books, superheroes, sequels and remakes, Netflix wants to be the go-to destination for innovative and original movie storytelling.

What’s more, Netflix is putting its money where its mouth is, paying Brad Pitt and his production company a whopping $80 million for an edgy military satire set at the height of America’s abortive war on terror.

While War Machine is undoubtedly a good film — sometimes even great on brief occasions — it won’t be sparking the kind of worldwide sensation that Netflix might be hoping for.

Remarkably, the chief factor hobbling its chances of widespread success is the main attraction himself.

Brad Pitt, left, and Ben Kingsley in a scene from War Machine. (Francois Duhamel/Netflix via AP)

In filling out the central role of War Machine — a rough, tough and gruff US general on a collision course with then-President Barack Obama — Pitt makes a flamboyantly odd set of choices that make his performance a decidedly acquired taste.

The way that the actor walks, talks and shapes his body is intended to be the stuff of broad caricature, but it comes off as a weird in-joke.

The distraction of Pitt eventually subsides as War Machine digs deeper into a genuinely interesting story.

Brad Pitt makes a flamboyantly odd set of choices that make his performance a decidedly acquired taste.

The year is 2009, and the legendary five-star firebrand General Glen ‘The Glenimal’ McMahon (Pitt) has just started running the US show in Afghanistan.

Obama’s White House wants out of the conflict altogether. McMahon thinks America should stick around and show the world that Uncle Sam can still fix a broken nation.

As this film is a thinly-veiled recap of a dust-up that actually transpired between Obama and notorious military maverick Gen. Stanley McChrystal, it is already well-known this clash of ideologies will not end well.

However, War Machine finds real strength and purpose once it is obvious The Glenimal’s fate is sealed. Had a little of the same urgency been detected earlier in the picture, it might have been something truly special.

Nevertheless, still worth a look if you’re feeling both adventurous and patient.

War Machine premieres on Netflix tomorrow (Friday May 26) at 7.00pm AEST.

War Machine (M)

Director: David Michod (Animal Kingdom)

Starring: Brad Pitt, Topher Grace, Anthony Michael Hall, Anthony Hayes, Tilda Swinton, Ben Kingsley.

Rating: ***

Verdict: Wins the fight, even if Brad loses the plot

Originally published as Megastar Brad Pitt makes some odd acting choices in Netflix satire War Machine but it’s worth a look