A melding of war and comedy

In War Machine, director David Michod summons some of the spirit of war comedies like Catch 22 and

M-A-S-H. The film captures an American military driven by politics, illusions and personal aspirations. Pitt’s general, with a deeper, gruffer voice than General Stanley McChrystal’s, comes charging into Afghanistan with outlandish delusions of grandeur and departs amid self-inflicted scandal.

“We were tapping into a melding of war and comedy - two things that used to co-exist quite conformably, but in this day and age don’t,” said Michod. “It’s very interesting to see how the two coexist in the public sphere given how strangely earnest all conversation about war has gotten in a possibly warped way. But there’s something almost truer in that kind of great comedy treatment of decades past than the nature of the discussion that goes on today.”

Michod grants it’s an approach that makes for some wild swings of tone in War Machine, but he says a mix of absurdity and tragedy is ultimately more realistic.

“At core, the thing to me that’s most powerful about War Machine was that it was about the way personalities can have an incredibly powerful and often a powerfully damaged ripple effect across the world,” said Michod. “The movie is called War

Machine, but that machine is made up of individuals.” Pitt said his production company discussed the film with McChrystal. “I feel for him,” said the actor. “He’s a product of us. He’s us.” McChrystal, who retired from the Army shortly after resigning command, has since launched a management consulting firm and penned a memoir.