Watch Drone
- TV-MA
- 2017
- 1 hr 31 min
-
5.4 (6,820)
Drone is a 2017 thriller movie directed by Jason Bourque starring Sean Bean, Patrick Sabongui, and Mary McCormack. The movie tells the story of a family man and United States drone operator, Neil Wistin, who works in Pakistan to track and kill terrorists. The plot thickens when he receives a surprise visit from a businessman, Imir Shaw, who claims to be a Pakistani conducting business in Canada. Shaw then invites Neil over to his house, where he meets Shaw's wife and son. In a bizarre turn of events, Neil realizes the Shaw family has ties to his drone operations and their meeting sets off a chain of events that reveals espionage, murder, and betrayal.
The movie takes a deep dive into topics including foreign affairs, multiculturalism, technology, and ethical dilemmas of modern warfare. It places particular emphasis on the personal cost of those who are involved in drone warfare, who come home from the war but bring it with them, haunting their conscious with the blood on their hands. The central conflict of the film revolves around ethical questions about drone strike micro-management, with Neil questioning the necessity of the attacks and the morality of his duty.
As the story unfolds, the characters collide in a complex web of manipulation, suspicion, and deception. The characters are intricately drawn and provide for an intense viewing experience, with the audience constantly on the edge of their seats, following each character's next move.
Sean Bean delivers an excellent performance as Neil Wistin, bringing both sensitivity and strength to each scene. He allows the audience to connect with his character on a personal level, and the inner conflict that he portrays is both realistic and engaging. His portrayal of a soldier whose duty is at odds with his humanity is a standout performance in his career.
Patrick Sabongui and Mary McCormack also deliver strong and nuanced performances as the Shaws. Sabongui brings a quiet intensity to his role as Imir Shaw, whose motivations are unclear to the audience until the dramatic conclusion. McCormack plays the role of Neil's wife, whose relationship struggles are depicted against the backdrop of her husband's morally-ambiguous job.
The cinematography of Drone is impressive and provides a sense of place that adds weight to the story. The movie's setting in the Canadian prairies provides stark contrast to the place where Neil Wistin works, the remote facilities where he operates the United States' drone program in Pakistan. The barren landscapes, endless highways, and low brick buildings evoke the associated sense of emptiness and loneliness associated with modern warfare.
Drone is not your typical thriller movie. It draws the audience into the complicated world of drone operations and the resulting ethical dilemmas. The movie's overarching theme is one of consequence: the lives that we take have ripple effects beyond the singular moment in which they occur. It invites the audience to connect with the characters and the choices they make, asking the question, are the consequences of war ever justified?
In conclusion, Drone is a morally complex and thought-provoking movie. The combination of strong performances, skillful storytelling, and powerful cinematography creates an engaging and immersive experience. At the core of the film is a powerful message about accountability, personal responsibility, and the cost of war. It is a must-watch movie for anyone interested in the ethical dilemmas of modern warfare and the human cost of drone strikes.
Drone is a 2017 thriller with a runtime of 1 hour and 31 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.4 and a MetaScore of 49.