<P> War Machine is a 2017 American satirical war film directed and written by David Michôd, based on the nonfiction book The Operators by Michael Hastings . It is a fictionalized version of the events in the book based on United States Army General Stanley McChrystal . </P> <P> The film stars Brad Pitt, Anthony Michael Hall, Anthony Hayes, Topher Grace, Will Poulter, Tilda Swinton and Ben Kingsley . It was released on Netflix on May 26, 2017 . </P> <P> In the summer of 2009, Four - star General Glen McMahon (Brad Pitt), having won renown for his effective leadership in Iraq, is sent to Afghanistan to prepare an assessment so that the government can end the ongoing war . He is given wide latitudes to write it, on the sole condition that he not request more troops . McMahon and his staff, particularly his right hand man Major General Greg Pulver (Anthony Michael Hall), are united in their belief that the war can be won, and decide to recommend that President Obama authorize a surge of 40,000 additional troops to secure Helmand province in order to stabilize the country . However, the Secretary of State (Sian Thomas) informs McMahon that his report will not be reviewed until after the upcoming presidential election . </P> <P> Captain Badi Basim (Aymen Hamdouchi), a member of the ANA, joins McMahon's staff as a "representative" of the Afghan people . He arrives, however, in civilian clothes as he would rather not wear his uniform, which he has in a bag, outside the compound near his home as he walked . Meanwhile, McMahon is informed that, due to alleged irregularities in the counting of votes, a runoff election will have to be held, delaying the review of the assessment further . Fed up, McMahon secretly leaks the assessment to the Washington Post and organizes an interview with 60 Minutes, during which he reveals that, in the last seventy days, he has only been granted one meeting with the president . In response, the government announces that they will send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan, and that all US and coalition forces in the country will leave in 18 months . To gather the remaining 10,000 troops needed for his strategy to work, McMahon and his men head to Paris to negotiate with the other coalition nations . </P>

Who is the general brad pitt plays in war machine