Patrick Hughes's science fiction action film, War Machine, starring Alan Ritchson, centers on a soldier whose name remains anonymous throughout the movie. After joining the Ranger Selection Program, he was assigned the number "81," which practically became his identity. The film's opening scene established that, for 81, becoming a ranger wasn't just a professional goal, but a personal one. He had lost his brother in Kandahar and was at the scene when the Taliban launched the attack that took his life. His brother dreamed of earning a ranger scroll someday and had convinced 81 to join the academy as well. 81 wasn't particularly enthusiastic.
He thought he was too old for something so intense, but for his brother's sake and his own childhood dream of becoming a ranger, he eventually promised to join the academy. Two years later, he was at the academy, ready to fulfill his brother's dream. We learned that 81 had already applied for membership four times, but medical denials had been denied each time. During the Taliban attack, shrapnel pierced his knee, and the injury continued to bother him. But 81 was determined to become a Ranger, and it seemed nothing would stop him.
Director: Patrick Hughes
Writers: Patrick Hughes, James Beaufort
Stars: Alan Ritchson, Stephan James, Blake Richardson
81 did everything he could to ensure his selection as a Ranger. This was his only chance, as he wouldn't meet the age requirements the following year. His determination was unmatched; he kept to himself and focused solely on being the best candidate. He was at the top of the rankings, breaking records and completing challenges with ease. Most of his generation envied his strength, but they didn't realize there was a tragic story behind his unsurpassed courage. Sometimes, his leg would ache after a grueling day, but he would swallow the pain because he couldn't afford to give up.
We soon discovered that, immediately after losing his brother in Kandahar, 81 began applying to the Ranger Academy. He was advised to seek therapy, but chose to ignore his mental health issues and focused solely on his brother's death. As a result, 81 suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and often woke up in the middle of the night, frightened and anxious. During the penultimate test, 81 pushed himself too hard. Candidates were challenged to hold their breath underwater and walk across a pool carrying weights.
Although most gave up, 81 refused and nearly drowned. Sergeant Major Sheridan, who made the final selection, feared that 81 would be a burden, and even if he qualified as a Ranger, he would become a danger to himself. They believed he needed therapy and rest, and encouraged him to sign a voluntary resignation. But 81 refused to listen; He had to become a ranger, or at least do his best, and he wasn't ready to quit. Since Sergeant Major Sheridan and Army Officer Torres couldn't discharge him (he was a promising candidate), they decided to assign him an extremely challenging task that would either make him successful or destroy him. 81 didn't want to become a team leader; he feared he wouldn't be able to defend his team and knew it would severely affect his mental health—all the more reason they chose him. They wanted to challenge him and believed he would eventually have to lead a team, so he'd better be up to the task. Although 81 was terrified by the responsibility he'd been given, he was determined to see it through.
The candidates were warned that the final round, aptly named the "death march," would be extremely difficult. They were dropped off at an undisclosed location and tasked with finding and neutralizing their target. After spending a day tracking it, they stumbled upon a large metallic object, which they assumed was classified, taking it as their objective. Their compasses had begun to malfunction at the location, but they didn't attach much importance to it at the time. They expected an ambush as soon as they attempted to approach the object, so they waited for the opportune moment to strike. 81 sensed that something was amiss; the situation should have escalated by now, but an unsettling silence reigned. He decided to scout the area on his own to locate any potential threats.
Meanwhile, his team approached the object and attached detonators to its body. After a short walk, 81 came across a fighter jet in the woods and realized that this was their objective, not the object on the riverbank. Before he could reveal this information to his team, they attempted to detonate the metallic object, but instead of being destroyed, it transformed into a two-legged machine that used laser beams to pinpoint its enemy and kill it with precision. In their attempt to escape this killing machine, several candidates lost their lives.
A few more eventually succumbed to their injuries, and 81's objective was to guide his team to safety before it was too late. 7, who had been supportive of 81, suffered a broken leg, but his team refused to give up and decided to carry him out on a stretcher. 81 and his team soon realized they were fighting an alien war machine. Its magnetic field impacted their compasses and quickly became an indicator of the imminent threat.
Clearly, this was no routine final-round challenge; the threat was real, and if they couldn't neutralize it, they would lose their lives. They thought they might find help from the team stationed nearby, but upon arriving, they discovered the machine had already killed the soldiers and completely destroyed the place. They concluded that the machine had descended from the snowy mountain, reached the team's base, and bombarded the location. An asteroid was seen approaching Earth, and clearly, the alien war machine had something to do with the phenomenon.
Difficult terrain, an invincible enemy, and a severe lack of sleep and food. This was what the team faced. After reaching the team's base, they found a tank they thought they could use to call for help. They managed to start the tank and seize the ammunition and firearms located at the base. 81 and his team sat inside the tank, hoping to reach a safe place, but soon the machine approached them. They fired at it repeatedly, but the machine was unstoppable. The tank soon began to crumble as the machine relentlessly attacked them. Most of those in the tank were already dead, and by the time 81 realized the driver wasn't responding, the tank had crashed and exploded. When 81 regained consciousness, he was devastated to discover that almost everyone in the tank was dead. The only positive was that 7 was still alive, though he needed immediate medical attention.
7 eventually revealed that he knew 81's brother; he called him "Mouth Soldier." The brothers had matching tattoos (D.F.Q.: Don't F***ing Quit), and that's how he figured out they were related. 7 told 81 that the deceased soldier always told him that one day he and his brother would become rangers. 81 emphasized that he had to cross the finish line for his brother's sake, and he believed that only then could he get some sleep.
7 wanted him to know that he wasn't a failure; the fact that he never gave up was already half the battle won. 81 was determined to reach the base with 7. He struggled to find a way to bring the machine down, and that's when 7 advised him to consider how his late brother would have handled the situation. 81 replied that he would have filled it with "Stop Leak"; he wasn't much of a mechanic, so "Stop Leak" was his ultimate solution. 81 realized he had probably found the solution to the problem.
He had located a quarry nearby, and he figured if he could block the alien machine's vent port, then perhaps it would finally break apart. 81 arrived at the quarry and lured the machine there. He drove a massive excavator and charged at the alien machine, pushing it into a corner and clogging its system with stone shards. The machine finally collapsed, resulting in a massive explosion, but thankfully 81 and 7 survived.
81's greatest regret was not making it back to base with his brother. He'd collapsed 100 yards from the perimeter, and 81 would never forgive himself for it. He'd been awarded a Silver Star for gallantry, but he'd never taken pride in it. 81 was determined to get 7 back to base; it was his only way to redeem himself. After destroying the alien machine, 81 hoisted 7 onto his shoulders and walked to the base. He finally crossed the finish line. 7 received medical attention. Sergeant Major Sheridan apologized for not sending reinforcements; he explained that he'd lost half his battalion and that only this base was safe. It turned out that the exploding asteroid had split into a thousand capsules, each of which had become a war machine.
It was an alien invasion, and although armies from around the world had managed to neutralize the first wave, according to their intelligence, tens of thousands more remained to be taken down. At the end of War Machine, 81 shared with the sergeant and his team how he had managed to bring down the machine unarmed. He explained that he had blocked the main ventilation port, and that ultimately, the entire system collapsed. This information was crucial, and it can be assumed that if the world succeeded in fighting the aliens, 81 played a significant role. 81 also admitted that the sergeant major was right: "I wasn't ready," but the final challenge helped him overcome his fears and accept his reality.
Sergeant Major Sheridan awarded 81 the ranger scroll and welcomed him to the regiment. 81 was asked to share words of encouragement with the regiment before they departed to take down the machines. After everything he had been through, he had developed leadership qualities, and there was a fire in his eyes that refused to be extinguished. He had fulfilled his brother's dream; he was finally a ranger. The people around him didn't know his name, and it's likely that his contribution will be forgotten. But even if he dies in combat, he will die in peace knowing he redeemed himself and made his brother proud.
If War Machine returns with a sequel, we can expect 81 to lead the way. He had already figured out how to stop the machine, so presumably he will be consulted on the strategy. The tactics will be shared with global armies, and hopefully, the machines can be completely neutralized. Unless, of course, the aliens find a solution to the problem. Clearly, they are quite advanced, so it wouldn't be surprising if they developed an even better machine. This also means that 81 will have a new challenge ahead, and the sequel will focus on whether or not he will overcome it.
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