The Kill Team

THE KILL TEAM - A24

Loyalty, fraternity and the greyed morality of war are investigated in Dan Krauss’ dramatisation of his 2013 documentary, The Kill Team. Distributed by indie advocate A24, it follows the exploits of Nat Wolff’s U.S. soldier, as his platoon comes under new command, charting their spiral caused by the corruptive nature of authority.  

If there’s something memorable about The Kill Team, it is Alexander Skarsgård. His character, Staff Sergeant Deeks, arrives as though from deep in the desert, and retains an unabashed intensity from the beginning. His reputation as the dominant force is made as clear as the Afghan sky, embodying the central theme: power corrupts, its influence even more so. Nat Wolff’s Andrew Briggman is given the thankless task of countering, which is a challenge neither our protagonist nor Wolff himself is capable of facing. The underdeveloped supporting players do little to share this load, with their constant back-and-forth banter feeling skin deep. The Kill Team really is Skarsgård’s show. 

The film takes a similar approach to Sam Mendes’ Jarhead in its portrayal of violence. Krauss only chooses to show the aftermath of combat in an honourable attempt to nullify the adrenaline-rush sequences other war films place so much emphasis on. This more subdued, internal approach is often undercut, with moments of levity jarringly interrupted by reminders of the horrors of war. It seems as though realism was a key goal during production, highlighted by the use of diegetic sound over score, immersing the viewer in this tenuous environment. 

The narrative is extremely compelling, providing a refreshing viewpoint into the darker side of the American military. For all the work it does toward demonising the focal platoon, however, it ignores the innocence of the persecuted Afghan locals. They are given no distinguishable identity except that of the victim or the other, juxtaposing the sympathetic nature of Wolff’s character through whose eyes the world is seen. The audience is encouraged to sympathize with soldiers present on-screen, viewed as cannon fodder upon whom the platoon vent their frustrations. 

Krauss shows a flair for storytelling in his narrative debut. There are moments of relentless intensity, but the irregular score and sound mixing work too hard to dramatise what is already engaging; this diminishes the realist approach the film otherwise strives for. The Kill Team is a unique addition to a genre usually diluted with tales of bravery and patriotism, and Skarsgård’s showing here is a career-best. Unfortunately, there are too many unoiled parts stopping this machine from functioning to its best capability.