Original Coverage & Source Attribution: www.cbr.com
Ethan Hawke is a talented and acclaimed actor, known for films like Dead Poets Society, Reality Bites, Training Day, and more. Now, one of his most underrated movies is leaving Paramount+ in just five days.
Good Kill is a 2015 action thriller and drama starring Hawke alongside Bruce Greenwood, Zoë Kravitz, Jake Abel, and January Jones, and it’s leaving Paramount+ after October 31st. The film originally premiered at the 71st Venice International Film Festival in 2014, where it competed for the Golden Lion, before being released in theaters on May 15, 2015.
What Is Good Kill About?
Good Kill follows Major Thomas Egan, an officer with the U.S. Air Force. A former F-16 Falcon pilot, Major Egan now flies drones in foreign airspace while stationed in Nevada with his wife and children. He is celebrated for his performance and precise flying, but underneath, Egan starts questioning his assignment, which takes a toll on him.
Ethan Hawke stars in Good Kill as Major Thomas Egan, with January Jones as Molly Egan, Thomas’ wife. Good Kill also stars Zoë Kravitz as A1C Vera Suarez, Jake Abel as Mission Intelligence Coordinator (M.I.C.) Joe Zimmer, Bruce Greenwood as Lieutenant Colonel Jack Johns, Peter Coyote as “Langley” (CIA controller voice), Ryan Montano as Airman Roy Carlos, and Dylan Kenin as Captain Ed Christie.
Good Kill was written and directed by Andrew Niccol, known for writing The Truman Show and for directing films like the realistic hard sci-fi Gattaca, as well as The Host, based on Stephenie Meyer’s sci-fi novel. Good Kill is a look at the ethics of missile drone strikes through the eyes of a U.S. Air Force officer.
Good Kill Received Positive Reviews from Critics
Image via IFC Films
Good Kill was a hit with critics, but it’s not among the most beloved war movies. On Rotten Tomatoes, the Ethan Hawke film holds a Certified Fresh 74% Tomatometer score based on critics’ reviews. However, the action-drama also holds a much more negative 49% Popcornmeter score based on audience reviews. On IMDb, Good Kill has a 6.4 rating with over 26,000 reviews.
Glenn Whipp from the Los Angeles Times said that “Where Niccol succeeds is in creating an atmosphere of self-loathing, both for those manning the drones and the audience watching them work.” Steve Tilley from the Toronto Sun said Good Kill is “thoughtful and timely, offering an unsettling look at the two faces of modern warfare.”
In a more negative review, Joe Morgenstern from the Wall Street Journal wrote, “Compelling as the subject may be, its abstract nature would challenge the most skillful of dramatists, and Mr. Niccol’s script seldom rises above slogans, argumentation and standard-brand domestic tension.” Meanwhile, Donald Clarke from the Irish Times said Good Kill “Plays like a series of didactic footnotes for a much more interesting film”
Good Kill might not make the list of Ethan Hawke’s best performances. However, the action-drama and thriller still has a loyal cult following, and the moral explorations and ethics of drone strikes become an interesting topic and timely storyline, making it a must-watch. And there are still five days left to stream Good Kill on Paramount+ in the United States until October 31st.
- Release Date
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April 9, 2015
- Runtime
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104 minutes
- Director
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Andrew Niccol
