A young American soldier in Afghanistan is disturbed by his commanding officer’s behavior and is faced with a moral dilemma.
“The Kill Team” follows 21-year-old Army private, Andrew Briggs (Nat Wolff) as he navigates the inner turmoil he experiences while dealing with crimes committed by his team which is lead by Sergeant Deeks (Alexander Skarsgård) while in Afghanistan. The film is based on a 2013 documentary of the same name which covered the war crimes and how the CID failed to look into it. This movie is a dove into the failures of the military both morally and physically. It failed to step in to investigate the ordeal but the military itself has also created this feeling that intimidation and coercion are completely okay and morally just. Not surprising in the least, Briggs is labeled as both the hero and the villain playing both whistleblower and instigator.
The film could be more engaging if it didn’t follow that of a documentary. In a world where stores based on true events are 90% fictionalized or pumped up to sell tickets, this film tries hard to be as dry as possible and it succeeds. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing but if you just wanted to send the facts across to an audience why not just stick with the original 2013 documentary? It is puzzling.
While Nat Wolff is an excellent actor, his portrayal of a young private who is being torn apart internally and being threatened physically, isn’t accurate in the slightest. Emotion, especially internal struggles, is seen in the face. That’s where the emotion happens. Wolff just looks to be blank, as though he is staring into headlights as a deer would. It feels like a half-hearted performance even though it’s just the wrong casting choice.
The toxicity that was mentioned earlier is mixed with those that try and do good. Briggs originally serves under a good man. He is a man that keeps the cruelty and the evil in check but when an IED explodes he is killed. Enter the villain, Sergeant Deeks, who is not only fine with the cruelty that those around Briggs want to participate in, he encourages it. He calls them warriors which, by the end of the film, you can interpret that to mean they had the green light to murder anyone who they found to be an enemy regardless of their true allegiance. They were allowed to be judge, jury, and executioner and they wore that rite out.
The terrifying part about this film is that upon its initial release, this day and age makes this story seem like only another story to add to the list. The atrocities of war and the decomposing moral stance of the monsters that are hiding behind individuals that want to do good are the norm now. The Army’s slogan is “Army Strong” it is supposed to articulate the need for unity, for selflessness. The power of the individual leads to the betterment of the group. That’s why it is supposed to stand for but yet now it seems that all that slogan articulates is the idea that your bloodlust will be covered if you should choose to partake. While “The Kill Team” may be dry and half-baked at times, it puts across that idea perfectly.
Now available on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital) and DVD from Lionsgate
