The Pentagon Wars

"They aimed to build the ultimate fighting machine... they missed."

1998 1h 44m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 88

ComedyDramaWarTV Movie

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

From the director of “Made In America” and “The Money Pit” comes a hilarious look at one of the most expensive blunders in military history. Over 17 years and almost as many billion dollars have gone into devising the BFV (Bradley Fighting Vehicle). There's only one problem. . . it doesn't work. (Spoiler alert: 25 years later ... it does work.)

“They aimed to build the ultimate fighting machine... they missed.”

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Cast

Kelsey Grammer
General Partridge
Cary Elwes
Colonel James Burton
Viola Davis
Sgt. Fanning
John C. McGinley
Colonel J.D. Bock
Tom Wright
Major William Sayers
Clifton Powell
Sgt. Benjamn Dalton
Dewey Weber
Spec-4 Granger
Richard Schiff
Colonel Smith

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Richard Benjamin
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Richard Benjamin, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Joseph Vitarelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jacqueline Cambas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Kelsey Grammer and Cary Elwes and Viola Davis carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They aimed to build the ultimate fighting machine... they missed.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0144550 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 88 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Richard Benjamin directs. Robert D. Yeoman behind the camera. Joseph Vitarelli scores. Jacqueline Cambas cuts. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Directed by Richard Benjamin, shot by Robert D. Yeoman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Joseph Vitarelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Jacqueline Cambas shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Kelsey Grammer and Cary Elwes and Viola Davis carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "They aimed to build the ultimate fighting machine... they missed.".
7IMDB entry: tt0144550 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 88 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "vietnam war", "gulf war", "army", "pentagon".
10Released under 21 different titles around the world.