Good Kill – Blu-Ray Movie Review

This proved to be an interesting movie, though the message may have been a bit heavy handed. It deals with drone pilots that can burn-out and get PTSD due to the the high stress environment they work with. This is not a happy movie as Hawkes character becomes increasingly numb and distant from his wife and family over the course of the film. Half of the movie shows how he deals with piloting drones and the aftermath of the missions consequences. The other half is about the commanders and after work relationships and coming to grips with dealing death with the push of a button. There is also a bit of surrealness to flying a drone and killing people while sitting in an air conditioned trailer just outside of Las Vegas. I felt the movie devolved a bit when the “nasty CIA” is introduced and they start to pick out and destroy questionable targets (with Administration approval, of course). Not un-like American Sniper, the person who pulls the trigger, whether a mile away or 10 thousand miles away, has to have nerves of steel and a firm commitment to follow orders. That being said, I did find the film to be engrossing and it will keep your interest to the end. The acting is good and the special effects are realistic. I noticed that the fortification in “Yemen” (a pre-CIA interdiction scene) was a set piece from Morocco used in Kingdom of Heaven…scaffolding and battering ram clearly visible. Drone warfare is not the future (Terminator), it is here and now. Let’s hope terrorist don’t adopt this strategy anytime soon.

Picture quality is excellent with lots of details in the close-up of faces. Outdoor scenes are desert bright, but never washed out. Shadow details are good and though the explosions exhibit some banding, the overall details of the air strikes are clean. Sound too, is exemplary. Lots of surround ambiance and sub woofer action.

Commentaries and a interesting “behind the scenes” look at drone warfare. A digital copy and DVD are also included.