War On Everyone

WAR ON EVERYONE

Written and directed by John Michael McDonagh

Starring Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Peña

You know those people who wear T-shirts that say, “I’m Not Racist: I Hate Everyone”? War On Everyone is those people in cinema form. This equal-opportunity offender comes thick and fast with the gags, but forgets that satire should make a point.

Bob (Michael Peña) and Terry (Alexander Skarsgård) are your run-of-the-mill American TV cops – corrupt to the core and proud of it. Threatened with expulsion and hot on the trail of a suspected heist, they aim for one last score: derail the heist and pocket the proceeds.

Deep, deep down, John Michael McDonagh’s irreverent black comedy has an inkling of truth to it. In the wake of Black Lives Matter and so many American news stories, these cops are precisely the filthy swine we expect, yet rarely see. But McDonagh is foreign to these affairs, and it shows in his utter lack of nuance.

What we’re given is a gratuitous, unapologetic genre flick that harks back to the bad ol’ days of loose-cannon law enforcement. True to the title, everyone is a target for Bob and Terry’s withering streams of abuse. Race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, social status and disability all fall victim to McDonagh’s spray-and-pray approach to comedy.

But ultimately, his writing and direction lack the sting of purpose in the tale. He doesn’t seem to actively discriminate against any one group present, sure, but as there’s no message attached to his rantings, the jokes are merely cheap. Sadly, they’re also significantly more substantial than the plot.

The director’s older brother, Martin McDonagh, crafts similarly sardonic tales, but they always bite back, holding the audience complicit in their cruelty. John Michael seems to have declared war on political correctness for the sheer thrill of it. To see the maker of a film as intelligent and emotional as Calvary sink to emulation of his brother’s work is, frankly, pitiful.

Put aside the lack of a worthwhile story to tell and you’re left with singularly amusing moments. Paul Reiser’s brief turn as a fatherly lieutenant is endearing, as is the brief yet welcome appearance of Reggie (Malcolm Barrett). Peña handles his loquacious dialogue with skilful deadpan – a delivery that hides the pandering academia inherent in McDonagh’s gags – and his family interactions are hilarious. Theo James and Caleb Landry Jones, on the other hand, suck.

If you’re convinced that political correctness has gone mad, this may well be your film of the year. For everyone else, satire with substance is elsewhere. McDonagh wanted cocaine high but barely hit amyl, and in the process, revealed himself as a gaping arsehole.

★☆

War On Everyone was reviewed as part of Sydney Film Festival 2016.

Post originally printed in The BRAG; available at http://www.thebrag.com/arts/war-everyone