Australian director Patrick Hughes knows a thing or two about gung-ho macho movies that evoke a visceral response, having directed “The Expendables 3” and “The Hitman’s Bodyguard.”
Now he’s brought his potent filmmaking toolbox to “War machine,” a new Netflix sci-fi thriller starring “Reachers” stalwart Alan Ritchson, which hit Netflix on March 6.
“War Machine” is absolute magic of a military survival film with Ritchson as a staff sergeant — known only by his call sign, 81 — who leads a group of Army Ranger candidates on their final Death March test into the wilderness.
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“The big hook for me was just the amount of heart that this movie had,” Ritchson tells Space.
“I felt so emotionally moved watching that journey. I loved the spirit of ’81 so much that I went and got an ’81 tattoo before we even finished this thing. My makeup artist loves me for it. I’m getting death stares from her right now because she has to cover it up all the time. The spirit of who this character was and his journey was something I want so much to be ‘8 pers. I am constantly reminded of.
Ritchson is known for his action-heavy roles and impressive physique, but even he was tested on the set of War Machine.
“I’ve done a lot of physical roles, but this took everything to the next level,” explains Ritchson. “Patrick came right out and said we’re going to shoot this as a horror movie on location in these beautiful, real places around Australia and New Zealand, and it’s going to be like nothing else we’ve ever seen. I just wanted to be a part of it in all the countless ways.”
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Filmed from a clever testosterone-injected script by Hughes and James Beaufort, “War Machine” doesn’t reinvent the sub-genre, but reminds us all how much fun these types of cinematic thriller rides can be when an invested cast and crew operate on all cylinders.
“I was shown a lot of westerns growing up,” notes Hughes regarding the film’s influences and inspirations.
“My father introduced me to westerns, and I became obsessed with them. And in turn realized that’s the birth of the action genre. So I’d say there’s a hint of ‘Pale Rider’ in there. There’s the man with no name. The driving angel archetype. And then there’s also ‘Deliverance,’ because it’s essentially a big movie, but it’s also a survival-fi movie.”
While it’s definitely a big, bombastic action movie, War Machine also takes influence from other genres to create its atmosphere.
“I personally feel that you can’t make a survival film without eventually leaning into horror because survival is about being lost in isolation,” Hughes explains. “To put these characters off the grid with no communication, no ammo, no weapons, nothing but bare bones and hands and everything they’ve learned through this training camp program, and to turn that into these 48 hours of horror that they have to survive. I just wanted to make a movie that was absolutely non-stop from start to finish.”
Without any specific spoilers, “War Machine” ends with the perfect setup for a sequel, and it sounds like it could happen if it’s received well and Netflix chooses to bring it back again.
“I know exactly where it’s going if they end up calling,” Hughes reveals. “We made ‘War Machine’ as a stand-alone one-and-done. But it’s a film that structurally starts with the micro and ends with the macro, and I felt like that was a really unique, fun ride. It’s an origin story of ’81,’ so that would be really exciting. We both know exactly where it would go.”
“War Machine” is available now to stream exclusively on Netflix.
