Land of Bad: Real-Life War as an Armchair Video Game With Consequences
By John Kirk
Rating: A
One of my favourite combat/rescue films is Bat 21 with Danny Glover and Gene Hackman. It was a reminder of sacrifice and the brutality of war, either from a distance or close-up, and a reinforcement of the military credo of “no man left behind.”
The cutting-edge tech in that film was a turbo-charged O2 Cessna Skymaster, which is a little simpler in comparison to today’s technology. But the same values resonate in Land of Bad; it’s the same sort of appeal but with a 21st century twist that looks at warfare in a new light.
The story: rookie Air Force Tactical Operator, Sgt. J.J. Kinney (Liam Hemsworth) is on his second in-country mission in the Philippines with a crack team of Navy SEALS to extract a tactical intelligence operative from an active terrorist cell.
Capt. Grimm (Russell Crowe) wages virtual war from a comfy office in Land of Bad.
He is the only one who can interface with the UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) sent to provide air support to his unit. Captain Eddie Grimm, aka Reaper (Russell Crowe) is the aging air force pilot of the UAV stationed in Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas. He needs active pay to support his troop of ex-wives, eight children, a new wife and a baby on the way.
When an aerial surveillance mission goes awry, thousands of miles away from Kinney and his unit, it’s up to Kinney to rescue the SEALS … and Grimm to rescue Kinney.
Land of Bad is an atypical war film because of the contrasts that reflect the different style of modern warfare. Grimm’s Hawaiian shirt under his uniform blouse barely conceals his girth. He is in his late fifties, has oppositional issues to authority and could hardly be considered the image of a professional military officer.
He is safe, secure in his office/tactical room, with a kitchen, nearby Starbucks and a recreation room that is occupied by base personnel watching NCAA basketball. While this base is a fully operational combat base, it is far removed from any active combat, snugly nestled in the comfort of urban America. Conversely, Kinney and his men are negotiating a tropical jungle, armed to the teeth and are definitely in harm’s way as they try to locate their target.
How technology has made it easier to pursue war from afar is a highly active theme in this film. While the traditional combat trappings (gun battles, hand-to-hand fighting, explosions, etc.) are present, it’s also striking how much war has become dependent upon the Internet, artificial intelligence and how easy it has become to fight wars from the comfort of an easy chair. (While Kinney is hiding on a rooftop observation point from the soldiers beneath him, Grimm is complaining about how the other drone operators have stolen his chair.)
Both the brothers Hemsworth give a good accounting of themselves as soldiers (Luke Hemsworth plays Sargeant Abel). Their physical performances are rock solid with regards to combat sequences, and the emotion they convey over the consequences are richly visceral. When you see the name Hemsworth, you know what you’re going to get and, in this case, they don’t disappoint.
Russell Crowe is just … Crowe. He can freely vacillate between an everyman, underdog character everyone can believe in, or a statuesque hero. In Land of Bad, he’s the underdog type who invites an audience to believe in an everyday capacity for heroism. While this isn’t his film, the film is better for his performance.
One of the enjoyable features of Land of Bad is the skillful way the pace is slowed down to emphasize the tension of waiting. Grimm must return the UAV to base for repair and refit, leaving the SEALS without aerial reconnaissance. It’s a 90-minute round trip and while the SEALS are forced to do ground reconnaissance, Grimm is in a hangar hitting whiffle balls out into the desert. While he’s doing nothing, Kinney and the SEALS are stealthily penetrating the perimeter of the terrorist’s base, aware of their vulnerability.
For Grimm and his colleagues, he begins an eight-hour shift very much like walking into the office. He and his colleagues hang up their jackets and grab a cup of coffee … before they sit in a $3 million video game console ready to rain high explosives on a target a continent away.
On-duty personnel are spending their time watching a basketball game under the supervision of their commanding officer while Grimm, in all of his middle-aged mediocrity (partnered with his co-pilot) is a stark contrast actively engaged in combat, dropping ordnance and launching missiles in defence of those on the ground. Out of shape, and in poor physical condition, Grimm is a lone technological warrior – the only one in the base of military personnel in actual combat.
But it’s Kinney and his SEALs who are actually suffering the physicality of war. Grimm is simply suffering workplace frustration which is a strangely odd feature of contemporary warfare. Life-or-death decisions are made by his throttle stick thousands of miles away, and being away from his console for a bathroom break could invite calamity. Kinney and the SEALs don’t have this luxury and are constantly under active threat, making life or death decisions as well.
It's a different look at the mental stress of combat and while one of the Navy SEALS reminds Kinney that regardless of the tech, war comes down to man killing man. In the end, both types of warriors – remote or in the field – are still killers, even if it’s in a grocery aisle trying to source a type of vegan cheese when a cell phone goes off, or receiving a call for air support.
In short, Land of Bad is a film worth watching. A new force of warfare is emerging to the public, burrowed into the comfy fabric of technology. While distant from the actual frontline, it is still a powerful and effective one that can either deliver fiery retribution, or like an angel of respite, bring those soldiers in the field home.
The symbolic nature of extending the American people’s will in leaving no soldier behind is clearly felt in this story, but it’s also symbolic of delivering hellfire from on high.
Land of Bad. Directed by William Eubank, written by David Frigerio. Starring Russell Crowe, Liam Hemsworth, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, Milo Ventimiglia, Chika Ikogwe, Daniel MacPherson, and Robert Rabiah. In theatres February 16.