Creech officials: Filmmakers didn’t take suggestions for drone movie
Creech Air Force Base officials Monday said their suggestions for the new “Good Kill” movie, about a pilot flying drones from an unnamed base, fell on deaf ears.
“While the Air Force and DoD (Department of Defense) were provided an opportunity to review the script and suggest ways in which support could be afforded, the filmmakers chose not to pursue this course of action,” a spokesperson for the base’s 432nd Wing said in an email response to a Review-Journal query.
“As from their point of view, any changes to the script would have seemingly detracted from the dramatic nature of the film,” reads the email from Tech. Sgt. Shad Eidson.
The movie debuted Friday in New York and Los Angeles after screening in foreign markets. It will appear at a local theater, Tropicana Cinemas, this week and go to video on demand, renewing awareness of Nevada’s role in the secret drone program.
The independent film, written and directed by Andrew Niccol, stars Ethan Hawke as a former Air Force fighter pilot living in Las Vegas and flying drones from an unnamed base.
Niccol said his objective for “Good Kill” was to examine the toll of remote-controlled drone strikes on people, especially those who execute them. “How does someone cope with doing that, fighting the Taliban for 12 hours a day and then going home to the wife and kids?” he said.
The Air Force did not provide uniforms, aircraft or locations for the movie.
Most of the military scenes were filmed in and around Albuquerque, N.M., not at Creech. The base at Indian Springs, 45 miles northwest of Las Vegas, is a hub for controlling overseas U.S. drone operations by pilots and sensor operators who monitor video feeds from Predator and Reaper spy planes and can trigger laser-guided missile strikes on targets in the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Review-Journal writer Chris Lawrence contributed to this report. Contact Keith Rogers at krogers@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0308. Find him on Twitter: @KeithRogers2
