Director: William Eubank
What happens when the team on the ground can't see the danger closing in, but the voice guiding them from a drone control room half a world away can? Land of Bad, William Eubank's 2024 war thriller, builds its entire runtime around that gap.
What is Land of Bad about?
An Army Special Forces team drops into the Philippine jungle on what's supposed to be a routine hostage-recovery mission, only to walk straight into an ambush that strips away their cover and their exit. On the other end of the radio sits Air Force JTAC Kinney, whose job is to translate the chaos on the ground into calls for air support, and Reaper drone pilot Eddie 'Reaper' Grimm, watching the entire battle unfold from a base thousands of miles away through a camera feed with its own delays and blind spots. The film alternates between the soldiers fighting through jungle terrain in real time and the control room where every decision carries a lag between what's seen and what's happening, a structural choice that turns modern drone warfare's remove into the source of tension rather than a gimmick. Over 48 hours, the mission becomes less about the original objective and more about simply getting everyone out alive.
Cast & crew
Liam Hemsworth plays JTAC Kinney with a controlled urgency that carries most of the control-room scenes, while Russell Crowe, as veteran drone pilot Reaper, brings a world-weariness that grounds the technology-driven half of the story. Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, and Milo Ventimiglia round out the ground team caught in the ambush.
Context & significance
Land of Bad draws on the real operational role of Joint Terminal Attack Controllers and drone crews, roles that have become increasingly central to how modern militaries coordinate combat support from a distance. Director William Eubank shot the ground combat sequences with a handheld, close-quarters style that contrasts deliberately with the sterile, screen-lit control room scenes.
Where & how to watch
Land of Bad is available to stream on K-Time with a free account login, offering a Farsi-language interface plus Persian dubbing and subtitles for audiences who want the film in Persian.