Has something genuinely fascinating at its center- the two artists making it seem to be making completely different movies for completely different reasons. Hearing them talk about it, Mendoza seems completely captivated by the what and the how, Garland the why. Way too much craft to land with a thud, though at times you are left wondering what it's all for. Does seem to communicate the viscerality of war as well as any of its peers- to evil ends? Perhaps.…

Crazy how much this is kinda like a proto- You Were Never Really Here, of course Mamet though has the subtlety of a sledgehammer. Functions best as a hypercompetent conspiracy potboiler, though does stumble headfirst into some fascinating subtext about the political privileges afforded to people in certain circles. At the end of the day, they're just in a circle we can't even see the outline of.

Was reminded how much I loved Derek Luke in the early-to-mid 2000s, an…