Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

This review may contain spoilers!

This is a film that has a lot to say but can take quite a while to say it. I would give Whiskey Tango Foxtrot a 4.5/10.

This film had some pretty funny moments here and there but ultimately to say this film is a comedy wouldn't do it justice. Where this film really excels is when it starts up a commentary upon the war within Afghanistan, the responsibility of journalism and the glimpse into Afghan culture. I thought this film was quite respectful and really knew what it was talking about, particularly in regards to the cultural aspects of this film. I also have to admit that the editing for this film worked really well, it did a really good job at showing different perspectives within the film.

Tina Fey, who played Kim Baker, was a great protagonist within this film; it was quite surprising seeing her as one of the more dramatic actors rather than one of the comedic actors and she does a fantastic job at it. Margot Robbie, who played Tanya Vanderpoel, wasn't in this film as much as I thought but did a great job despite her screen time; what I really enjoyed was that her character had an interesting moment in which she became an antagonist. Alfred Molina, who played Ali Massoud Sadiq, was a really funny yet stern performance; Molina is a really versatile actor and shows it in this film. Christopher Abbott, who played Fahim Ahmadzai, was one of the most charismatic characters in this film; Abbott shared some incredible chemistry with Fey in this film. Sheila Vand, who played Shakira Khar, was one of the funniest performers in the film; her line delivery was great and she was a fantastic entertainer. Evan Jonigkeit, who played Specialist Coughlin, delivered a very grounded performance in this film; I think Jonigkeit worked really well at delivering some of the stronger messages of this film. Sterling K. Brown, who played Sgt. Hurd, was a really funny performer while also being quite a convincing soldier; Brown had some of the funniest lines within the film.

However the best performance came from Billy Bob Thronton, who played General Hollanek. Thronton was quite a funny performer, often coming out with a great quip or an ironically folksy line. The real strength of his performance was all down to his great delivery, playing a very weary soldier while maintaining quite a bemusing air about him. The scenes he shared with Fey were always solid moments and some of the most enjoyable of the film.

This film was exceptionally slow and it took a long time for the film to reach relevant points in the plot; frankly there is a lot of the film that feels like time filler content. A problem this film had when it came to the plot is that it never really committed to what the film was about. Was it a war story or a journalism story? Is it a comedy or are we looking at a character's romantic life? Is this a self discovery film or is it something entirely different? This contradictory nature meant that the film had it's serious downfalls. The soundtrack was a mess, often there were tracks that didn't suit the tone or the mood of the film at all. The cinematography was quite bland, usually there was too much going on in the frame.

Martin Freeman, who played Iain MacKelpie, wasn't a very likable role in this film; Freeman never really showed any strong chemistry with Fey and he became one of the more forgettable performers. Nicholas Braun, who played Tall Brian, had no screen presence in this film; he was a character with a name but was used merely to fill space in the background. Stephen Peacocke, who played Nic, was used in this film for his attractiveness and not so much his acting talent; his line delivery was very stiff. Josh Charles, who played Chris, was quite a flimsy actor; you never really care about the boyfriend back home storyline anyway. Cherry Jones and Scott Takeda, who played Geri Taub and Ed Faber, were both exceptionally bland perfomers in this film; it was for this reason that you never particularly engaged with any of the journalism stuff set in New York. Hakim Zamir, who played Qadar, gave a very generic warlord performance in this film; he wasn't so much intimidating as much as he felt like a stereotype.