written by: Patrick Hughes (story/screenplay) and James Beaufort (screenplay)
produced by: Todd Lieberman, Alex Young, and Patrick Hughes
directed by: Patrick Hughes
rated: R (for strong violence, grisly images, and language)
runtime: 107 min.
U.S. release date: March 6, 2026 (Netflix)

The term “war machine” has been many things throughout history, with its earliest use as a noun dating back to the 17th Century. It has typically referred to physical, heavy weaponry or military vehicles, like tanks, ships, or siege engines, used in combat. War Machine is also the name of a Marvel Comics superhero introduced in 1993, the moniker of an American former professional MMA fighter-turned convicted felon, and the title of a Netflix movie from 2017, a satirical war comedy starring Brad Pitt and directed by Australian director David Michôd. And get this, it’s also the name of another Netflix dropping this week, a sci-fi action movie starring Alan Ritchson (Jack Reacher, himself), directed by Australian director Patrick Hughes. This “War Machine” doesn’t mess around, offering an intense, straightforward military-survival tale that pits U.S. Army Rangers against a heavily armed alien menace. It may seem obvious who the title refers to, but a case could be made for calling Ritchson’s character a “War Machine” as well.

The movie opens in Afghanistan, where we see a Staff Sergeant (Ritchson) with a talent for mechanics and engineering pull up alongside his brother’s (Jai Courtney) broken-down convoy to lend a hand. The topic of joining the Army Rangers together comes up, something the two of them have discussed before, but that’s interrupted by a surprise attack by Taliban insurgents that leaves everyone either dead or mortally wounded. The Staff Sergeant survives with a knee injury and tries to carry his brother to safety, but passes out from exhaustion before they can reach the base, unable to save the Squad Leader’s life.

Two years later, the Staff Sergeant joined the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP) to join the 75th Ranger Regiment, to experience one of the most grueling and unforgiving training regimens. All recruits are given numbers, and Ritchson’s character, now a psychological mess, is given “81,” and he remains determined to earn his scroll patch and cross the finish line. As weeks pass, recruits are eliminated, leaving 81 among the best of the best, determined by First Sergeant Torres (Esai Morales). Yet 81’s remaining fellow recruits are both curious about his rumored heroic history and put off by his solitary ways. His physical strength and endurance are obvious, but he turns down any leadership position because he’s not interested. During an underwater exercise, 81 allows himself to almost drown, which draws concern from Sergeant Major Sheridan (Dennis Quaid, looking like he’s sucking on lemons in every scene he’s in), who suggests 81 step down to recuperate.

81 refuses and joins the remaining recruits for their final test of survival, the “Death March”, a simulated mission in the Colorado wilderness to destroy a classified aircraft and rescue its pilot. Sheridan places 81 in the Team Lead position with “7 ” (Stephan James, “The Piano Lesson”) as his second in command, and the team set out to test their skills. The team assumes the strange craft they find in a creek is the aircraft they’re looking for, but they also hear an explosion in the sky that knocks out their communications and makes their compasses go haywire. When they try to blow up the aircraft, the team is startled to see the object stand up and begin attacking them with deadly artillery, and become the movie’s titular threat.

The sci-fi aspect of “War Machine” becomes real when that Transformer-like predator starts obliterating the recruits, downsizing the team, and leaving some gravely wounded. Realizing the giant menace isn’t from Earth, 81 scrambles what’s left of the team to hide, regroup, and come up with a plan. If only they had real ammo instead of the blanks they were given. With 7’s leg severely injured, 81 will have to rally only 15 (Blake Richardson), 44 (Alex King), 109 (Jack Patten), and 23 (James Beaufort) to get resourceful if they are to survive, and creative if they have any chance of taking out their deadly pursuer.

It’s an odd decision to give all the soldiers numbers instead of names, but Hughes, who co-wrote the screenplay with James Beaufort (the two have their own production company, Huge Films, with Greg McLean), is either trying to keep the audience focused on the action or suggesting something about combat casualties. Before their final training mission, the writers hint at something otherworldly, as news reports in the background cover mysterious asteroid activity. The script remains close to 81, and his team, steering clear of additional news coverage or what’s happening back at the base, is pursued by the seemingly unstoppable alien menace. It’s a smart decision, keeping the storytelling taut and efficient, and allowing Ritchson to dig into his character’s transformation into a leader looking out for others, and subconsciously pursuing his own personal arc of redemption, and using his head to find the machine’s weakness.

Hughes made his directorial debut back in 2010 with “Red Hill”, a solid neo-noir western filmed in Australia. After that, he helmed the third “Expendables” movie, proving he can handle action, and then directed the action-comedy “The Hitman’s Bodyguard” and its sequel. “War Machine” was filmed in New Zealand, with Hughes using the landscape of cliffs and raging rivers to deliver intense survival scenes.

Hughes cranks up the intensity at times, but the screenplay doesn’t sustain that intensity as the movie nears its end. There’s some eye-rolling patriotism injected as Hughes builds toward an expansion of the threat, indicating the fight has gone global and easily leading to a sequel. Whether the movie warrants one is a different discussion. Regardless, “War Machine” remains an absorbing watch with an engaging lead. It’s packed with visceral action, delivering thrills through a simple, albeit effective, story of survival.

RATING: ***