One of the most pressing predicaments facing not only the armed forces, but society in general is the exponential growth of technology. As a fundamental tool, it’s redefined how we approach various everyday tasks, quite often replacing the need for human interaction altogether. And one of the areas that this phenomena has occurred is on the front lines, with governments opting to carry out deadly strikes with pilot-controlled drones, thereby minimising any potential danger.
But such a detachment also throws up an array of moral questions — moral questions that serve as the crux for Andrew Niccol’s upcoming war drama Good Kill, which has unveiled its very first trailer today.
Starring Ethan Hawke as a former pilot now slated with carrying out kills from afar using the latest, morally ambiguous drone tech, the film will see his mental state gradually deteriorate as he begins to question exactly what he is doing. Alongside Hawke are January Jones, Zoe Kravitz and Bruce Greenwood.
At the time of writing, Niccol’s Good Kill is still without a release date, but we expect it to makes it bow at some point this year.
The film tells the story of a Las Vegas fighter-pilot turned drone-pilot (Ethan Hawke), who fights the Taliban via remote control for half of his day, then goes home to his wife (January Jones) and kids in the suburbs for the other half. But the pilot is starting to question the mission. Is he creating more terrorists than he’s killing? Is he fighting a war without end? One soldier’s tale with epic implications.
GOOD KILL is a visually stunning exploration of how a man’s psychological, emotional and moral boundaries are challenged by the realities of 21st century warfare. The film initiates an important dialogue about the current techniques used in modern war, and in the same vein as THE HURT LOCKER and FULL METAL JACKET, illustrates how war is constantly being redefined according to the technologies and methods in play.