War Machine review (2026)

Part Predator, part Michael Bay’s Transformers, War Machine is an intense, fun action spectacle that doesn’t ask much of viewers beyond taking in and enjoying the carnage.

War Machine is an unapologetic check your brain on the couch with the remote kind of film. It’s nice to see filmmakers understand the assignment and don’t try to make their film too deep — especially one featuring a murder bot.

The film features an elite squad of ranger finalists completing the last phase of their training in order to get the prized ranger scroll.

Among them is the burly, largely anti-social former engineer (Alan Ritchson, Reacher). Like the rest of the squad, his name is discarded until the demanding boot camp is completed. Until then, they’re only identified by their numbers. The former engineer is known simply as 81.

Director/co-writer Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard) doesn’t take long to rush into the action sequences for War Machine. In fairness, the story Hughes and co-writer James Beaufort, who does double duty as 23, doesn’t need some complex, involved backstory. It’s just a matter of creating some character connection to care when the action cranks up.

War Machine has a brief prelude showing 81 and his younger brother (Jai Courtney) in Afghanistan. The younger brother encourages 81 that they should make good on their teenage promise to become rangers. Hughes probably couldn’t telegraph the aftermath of this conversation any further unless he added pop up boxes cueing up the ambush that leaves 81 the sole survivor of an ambush.

For 81, becoming a ranger is personal.

The squad’s commanders, Sheridan (Dennis Quaid) and Torres (Esai Morales, Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning), aren’t sure that 81 has the right stuff especially since he keeps isolated from the rest of the squad. Clearly, 7 (Stephan James, If Beale Street Could Talk), has some knowledge about 81 the others don’t know and tries to establish a lead by example approach to working with him.

Hughes does a solid job showing the rigorous training the ranger hopefuls have to endure. He doesn’t glorify the trials but definitely shows it’s a survival of the fittest environment. As the field is winnowed down, it’s time for the final mission and it’s up to 81 to lead the squad to a successful operation.

Some of the squad, like 44 (Alex King), 60 (Keiynan Lonsdale, The Flash) and 190 (Jack Patten), don’t have an issue following 81 after learning of his prior exploits though 15 (Blake Richardson) isn’t sure if 81 cares about them all completing the mission.

Just when it seems the mission will go off without a hitch, the team stumbles onto a mysterious looking device that seems a bit too realistic for this simulation exercise.

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Too late 81 realizes that’s not their target as the device transforms into a heavy arsenal weapon of mass destruction. It was a bit disappointing that no character exclaimed it’s like some sort of…war machine.

Untitled or not, the war machine scans the environment and takes them out with a flurry of lasers, bombs and energy pulses and starts staking them through the woods almost like a predator. The influences in War Machine are hardly a secret as the film plays out. The war machine design isn’t particularly creative for an alien tech killing. It’s a slightly sleeker slick version of the ED-209 from Robocop with a seemingly unlimited supply of bullets, bombs and laser pulses.

Hughes does an excellent job of conveying this horrific scene showing a far more brutal tumble down the mountain than most action movies would attempt. The biggest knock with War Machine is Hughes’ decision to make the violence so graphic. From dismembered limbs, bodies exploding, intestines falling out to bodies burned so bad the skull is scorched, Hughes shows little restraint.

As the war machine mows down more of the squad, some of those death scenes hit harder as more of the likable characters get taken out in gruesome fashion. Despite the extreme deaths, the action is well staged with plenty of exhilarating, suspenseful sequences. Director of photography Aaron Morton makes strong use of the mountain setting with shadowy tree coverings, driving rains, a construction site and rapids for some well-crafted and lit scenes.

Ritchson feels like the closest equivalent of a modern-day Arnold Schwarzenegger with his hulking frame. War Machine is a role tailor-made for him, and he delivers another larger-than-life 80s action hero style performance.

James provides a steady presence as the calming influence that keeps the squad in line while 81 deals with his PTSD. The rest of the ensemble is solid with the cast settling into the standard archetypes for a military film.

War Machine starts off like a competent standard military film before the wild, over the top action gets underway propelling it to an easy recommendation for brainless action movie fans.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Photo Credit: Netflix

After watching War Machine, you can check out Ritcher’s big action franchise, Reacher, on Amazon Prime.

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