Title – War Machine (2026)
Director – Patrick Hughes (The Hitman’s Bodyguard)
Cast – Alan Ritchson, Stephen James, Blake Richardson, Alex King, Dennis Quaid, Jai Courtney
Plot – A group of potential Army Ranger recruits, including the battle worn 81 (Ritchson), find themselves in a life and death battle of survival when a boot camp exercise is thrown into chaos by an otherworldly force.
“Whatever that thing is, it’s hunting us”
Review by Eddie on 12/02/2026
It’s a relatively safe bet to suggest that Netflix’s latest sci-fi actioner isn’t going to be competing for any Oscars come this time next year, but for a film that promises us the chance to watch Mr. Jack Reacher himself Alan Ritchson go toe to toe with an otherworldly threat, War Machine offers up a rapidly paced good time that delivers the exact type of experience it sold to us.
A homecoming for Australian born director Patrick Hughes, who has returned to the land of Oz for his first locally shot film since his noted debut Red Hill in 2010, War Machine is the brainchild of Hughes and writing partner James Beaufort and is the first cab off the rank for Hughes and Beaufort’s new production company Huge Film, a partnership that’s been established alongside support from Wolf Creek mastermind and fellow Australian filmmaker Greg McLean.
A high-concept offering that shares traces of DNA with sci-fi action classic Predator and at times goes direct into pure horror type territory, War Machine wouldn’t feel out of place in a collection of 80’s and 90’s genre films, as its baggage free delivery of action spectacle, gritty stunts, minimal dialogue and thrills should see it become an instant streaming hit for eager Netflix viewers looking for their next hit of movie-induced adrenaline.
Wasting little time on much in the way of character development or background outside of its main man Ritchson, here playing the grizzled, physically and emotionally wounded 81, who will seemingly stop at nothing to be accepted into the Army Rangers, War Machine starts with blaze of momentum and relentless energy and while there are moments throughout its breakneck 100 or so minutes of running time that don’t always work, Ritchson and Hughes ensure the next enjoyable moment isn’t too far away.
Built around practical effects where possible and a clearly in the elements ensemble that were put through their paces filming in rural Australia and trying conditions in New Zealand, War Machine’s in the trenches approach to getting its vision onto screen is a massive win for the film and in turn a huge boost for the Australian film industry, that is here showcased in a way that hopefully continues to open doors for big-scale international productions that see Australia as a viable country for the movie making universe.
At the core of all of Hughes grand vision here is Ritchson, who gets his best chance yet to lead a feature film after years of notable supporting turns and his breakout Reacher show for Amazon.
Becoming both artistic muses and close friends before and during the process, Hughes asked a lot of Ritchson as the anchor of his film and while he may utter few words throughout War Machine’s runtime, it’s hard to imagine a more willing leading man than Ritchson who throws himself headfirst into his turn as 81, a man who must overcome present and past demons (both figuratively and literally) to survive an Army Rangers training mission gone horribly wrong.
Proving once more that he’s at home when a moment of levity is required but equally as comfortable diving into dangerous rapids or confronting many a moment of physical extremities, Ritchson is having a lot of fun here pushing himself to his limits and with their next collaboration already underway on Australian soil, an as of yet untitled Vietnam set feature, you get a sense that Hughes and Ritchson will continue to grow in a partnership we can all hope is a fruitful one.
It’s not to say there’s not gold to be found from some of the films supporting cast, made mostly up of local talent, with Blake Richardson as 15 and Alex King as 44 both making their marks, but War Machine really is the Ritchson show and he was more than up for the task.
Entertaining, at times visually spectacular and the perfect type of streaming orientated blockbuster that holds all the big screen virtues filmgoers love, War Machine is the ideal film to turn your brain off too, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the ride without a care in the world.
Final Say –
A big, bold and brash Australian film that never once feels like one, matching it with the giants of Hollywood, War Machine may be simplistic in nature and devoid of any deep depth but that doesn’t stop it from being a fantastically fun first up collaboration between Patrick Hughes and Alan Ritchson.
3 1/2 bottles of Stop Leak out of 5
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys) 
“…while there are moments throughout its breakneck 100 or so minutes of running time that don’t always work, Ritchson and Hughes ensure the next enjoyable moment isn’t too far away.” — Without any spoilers, are these moments that don’t always work b/c it makes the viewer go “well, that was stupid” or “too ambitious” or “where did that come from?”
And the next enjoyable moment is well-timed in pacing? Spectacle? both?
The closing bit in your review about turning one’s brain off has convinced me to persuade someone I know with Netflix to let me watch it when it hits. I live in my head, so let’s see how good a job it does at quieting the nonstop inner monologue.
It’s a very simplistic film, even though it’s high concept. It really does remind me of a lot of 80’s and 90’s genre films of the sci-fi/action ilk.
It has a distinct lack of character development but not sure you need that when a bunch of army grunts are taking it to a giant mech warrior!
Some of the set pieces aren’t jaw on the floor type set pieces but there’s some that really are, especially when you can tell it’s clearly stunt team members in action!
I would say grab a pizza, a cold beverage of your choice and just sit back and enjoy 🙂