Sean Bean stars in Drone, the new military thriller from director and co-writer Jason Bourque which sees the actor playing Neil, the blank-faced operator of a deadly drone that drops bombs in the Middle East.
As shown in the newly released trailer, Neil is a private drone contractor who appears callous in his destructive missions overseas, only to return to his family to live out a familiar suburban life with his wife and son. The movie itself is about Neil facing the unexpected consequences of his actions when a Pakistani businessman (played by Patrick Sabongui) shows up on his doorstep with a briefcase and perhaps some bad intentions.
From there, Drone checks off the list of quick cuts and rapid escalation that you’d expect from a psychological thriller, but it’s made even more poignant and uncomfortable by how increasingly relevant this topic has become in lieu of recent events (there’s even a whistleblowing, WikiLeaks-esque factor). For that reason, audiences will likely be split on the implications of a film that appears to position the victims of American drone attacks in outlandish ways that might fuel xenophobia. Or they might just enjoy the movie as a commentary on American foreign policy dating back the last 8 years.
Either way, Drone appears to be an explosive indie that will have many people talking, for better or worse, about issues that continue to be massively polarizing in the US and abroad. It’s not clear yet how its controversial subject matter will impact its critical reception and box office business, but we’ll know soon enough as it premieres on April 17 at the Vancouver Film Festival. For the rest of us, Drone will open for a wider release on May 26.
