The confusion of the U.S. general

American four-star General McMahon hesitated to take up the post of the Supreme Commander of the US Army in Afghanistan, and he was determined to make contributions in the Afghan battlefield and win this impossible war. But the reality was far more complicated than he thought, and General McMahon, who had fallen into the "quagmire", finally left sadly.
The film is adapted from the late journalist Michael Hastings' bestseller "The Manipulator: The Terrible Inside Story of the Afghanistan War". In the film, Admiral McMahon, played by Brad Pitt, is a typical professional soldier who was born for the war. , The meaning of life is to win in war. As a professional soldier, McMahon is very strict with himself. He only eats one meal a day, sleeps for four hours, and runs 11 kilometers. After arriving at the station, he did not live in the spacious and comfortable hotel-style room of his predecessor, but chose one. Very simple room without windows as a dormitory. But he soon discovered that in Afghanistan no one except him seemed willing to continue the war. The coalition forces stationed there all day long drinking and having fun, and the Afghan National Defense Forces trained by the U.S. military were even more undisciplined, and when McMahon asked for the president of Afghanistan. During the joint operations, Karzai's phrase "When did you ask for my consent for your actions?", it was even more clear that this president is just a puppet. Full of ambition, McMahon, who was planning to flex his muscles, was trapped in the "quagmire" of politicians, media, resident officers and soldiers, and the local government. He felt a sense of powerlessness with his fists hitting cotton. During the "conscription" in Europe, German journalists asked him whether he launched a war just to satisfy his own ambitions, which hit him even more so. Perhaps as revealed in the film, only in the war can he feel that he is close to the center of power and that he can feel his own importance.

The film is designated as a war comedy, but apart from Brad Pitt’s slightly exaggerated acting skills and some jokes, there are not many funny plots, and the film’s description of the battle scenes is also very Less, more is to discuss the meaning of this war. Netflix has become addicted to filming war scenes recently. The recent "Sand Castle" has just focused on the US military in Iraq, and the film has focused its attention on Afghanistan. If the "Sand Castle" shows the confusion of the US soldiers stationed in Iraq, then this film shows the confusion of the top US military. If McMahon in the film represents a part of Americans with the idealism of "We have brought you democracy and freedom, and come to liberate you", then the black corporal of the Marine Corps performing the first-line mission represents the coldness. The reality, "I can't figure out who the enemy is at all, because it seems that every local person I face wants to kill me." When he saw the child killed by him in the battle, he completely broke down. After the battle, the Afghan resident's speech represented the thinking of many ordinary Afghans, "You always have to leave. The longer you stay, the more they (the Taliban and others) become stronger, so you should hurry up. Let's go."

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