Call it a comedic depiction of the waste at the Pentagon or just a lighthearted critique of a serious issue plaguing the American government, Richard Benjamin’s The Pentagon Wars is a noteworthy glimpse of a world that has been largely impervious to the public eye – the military establishment.
Benjamin has been a comedic actor on screen and has directed comedic projects including the 1970 adaptation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. In the same vein, his HBO TV movie The Pentagon Wars explores the insane mindset of certain top military officials who put their egos well above public interest and general common sense (accidental pun included).
Based on the biographical book The Pentagon Wars: Reformers Challenge the Old Guard by retired United States Air Force Colonel James G. Burton, the movie shows Colonel Burton’s (Cary Elwes) earnest attempt to do his job, i.e., assess the development of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle. This hurts the authoritative ego of his boss, Major General Partridge (Kelsey Grammer). With billions spent on the project and no real testing allowed by a bunch of generals, Colonel Burton’s report on the project triggers a congressional investigation.
The movie’s is essentially a comedy in the bounds of good humor but strangely, even suspiciously, got an R rating from MPAA supposedly for language. At best it should have been a PG-13.
The conflict and both lead characters trying to beat each other by playing smart makes the kernel of this humorous treat. At a time when the waste and abuse of taxpayer money is an important issue in the American political atmosphere, The Pentagon Wars stands as an example of ‘90s TV creating entertaining movies around real issues in the most generously funded institutions of the country. It’s the underrated movie of the last 30 years that is ever more relevant today.