War Machine (2017)

Scoot McNairy: Sean Cullen

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Quotes 

• Sean Cullen : [voiceover]  The thing about counterinsurgency is that it doesn't really work. We tried it in Viet Nam. That went well... The British and the French gave it a shot trying to hang on to *their* crumbling empires... It just hasn't worked. To me, it would seem kind of simple why. You can't win the trust of a country by invading it. You can't build a nation at gunpoint.

• Sean Cullen : Men are imperfect creatures. Left to their own devices all they really wanna do is play with their dicks and eat chicken.

• [last lines] 

  Sean Cullen : Anyway, in the absence of any real soul searching, what do we do? Well, obviously, we sack Glen and we bring in some other guy. And that other guy... was Bob.

• Sean Cullen : You could argue that the main reason certain generals like war so much is, well, because only in war that they feel truly relevant. It's only in war that they feel close to the center of power. Only in war do they feel the warm glow of other people's attention.

• [first lines] 

  Sean Cullen : [voiceover]  Ah, America. You beacon of composure and proportionate response, you bringer of calm and goodness to the world... What do you do when the war you're fighting just can't possibly be won in any meaningful sense? Well, obviously, you sack the guy not winning it and you bring in some other guy. In 2009, that war was Afghanistan, and that other guy... was Glen.

• Sean Cullen : I used to think that men went gray because they had stressful jobs with stressful decisions to make. Now, I think it happens when men start to feel in their bones that the great moments of their lives... might not turn out to be quite as great as they'd always hoped. When the real world starts creeping in. What separates the believers like Glen from everybody else is...

  [Glen salutes] 

  Sean Cullen : their ability to block this real world out. Some people call this insanity.

• Sean Cullen : [narrating]  In the good old days, wars were fought against conventional armies from nation states. Guys in uniforms, like Nazis and stuff. When, however, you've just gone and invaded a place that you probably shouldn't have, you end up fighting against just regular people in regular-people clothes.

  Sean Cullen : These guys are what are called insurgents. Basically, they're just guys who picked up weapons 'cause... so would you, if someone invaded your country. Funnily enough, insurgencies are next to impossible to defeat. And so, if you wanna go on pretending you can win, you're really left with no option but to try to convince the country you've invaded that you're actually here to help.

• Sean Cullen : [narrating]  Wars aren't fought by nations or by armies. Wars are fought by men.

  Sean Cullen : There are two types of general in the American military. There are those who believe they can win in the face of all evidence to the contrary. And there are those who know they can't. Unfortunately for the world, it's the believers who climb to the top of the ladder. It's guys like Glen who get given the keys to the castle.