Land of Bad is a fictional 2024 American military action thriller about a rookie Air Force JTAC trapped in the southern Philippines and the remote MQ-9 operator trying to guide him to safety. It was directed and co-written by William Eubank, released in U.S. theaters on February 16, 2024, and is rated R. It is not based on a true story, though real JTAC and drone-operator research informed its military details.
What is Land of Bad about?
Land of Bad is a fictional 2024 American military action thriller about a rookie Air Force JTAC trapped behind enemy lines in the southern Philippines and the remote drone operator trying to guide him to safety. Directed and co-written by William Eubank, with David Frigerio as co-writer, the film stars Liam Hemsworth, Russell Crowe, Luke Hemsworth, Ricky Whittle, Milo Ventimiglia, and Chika Ikogwe. It is not based on a true story, although its military details were informed by research with real JTACs and drone operators.
The film’s unusual hook is its split perspective: Kinney fights through the jungle at ground level, while Reaper watches the battlefield through sensors, radio traffic, and targeting systems from a remote control station. The result is part jungle-survival movie and part workplace drama about remote warfare.
Land of Bad at a glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Release | February 16, 2024, in the United States |
| Director | William Eubank |
| Writers | William Eubank and David Frigerio |
| Genre | Military action thriller |
| Setting | The southern Philippines and the Sulu Sea region |
| U.S. rating | R for strong bloody violence and language throughout |
| U.S. theatrical runtime | 110 minutes |
| Filming location | Queensland, Australia, primarily the Gold Coast |
The official U.S. runtime is 110 minutes, but listings vary. Netflix and Apple TV show approximately 1 hour 53 minutes, while Australian classification records list 112 minutes. The safest description is that the film runs roughly 110–113 minutes, depending on the edition or regional listing. See the official Paramount page, Apple TV listing, and Australian Classification record for the differing figures.
Spoiler-free plot summary
A small Delta Force team enters the southern Philippines to recover a Russian-linked intelligence target. Air Force Staff Sergeant JJ “Playboy” Kinney is attached to the mission as a JTAC, but he is inexperienced compared with the operators around him.
#1 Best Overall
- OFFICIALLY LICENSED BY IMDb - Based on millions of IMDb user ratings and the only top 100 movies scratch off poster licensed by IMDb - The most official and complete movie list of all time!
- WORK OF ART - Friends and family will appreciate the professional illustration and detail that went into all 100 original "mini movie poster" designs. Perfect gift for movie lovers!
- SUPERIOR QUALITY - With the high level of satisfied custumers, you can trust us to provide the best possible print quality and scratch-off experience. A great addition to your movie room accessories!
- INVESTING IN LOCAL QUALITY: We designed this poster in Madison, WI and printed it down the highway Vernon Hills, Illinois with one of the best scratch-off printers in the USA.
- STANDARD A2 POSTER SIZE - (16.5"x23.4") - Fits standard frame sizes. Frame the poster once all the movies are scratched-off and add it to your home movie theater room decor.
The mission collapses almost immediately. Kinney becomes separated from the team and must cross hostile jungle terrain while trying to stay alive, locate the surviving members, and reach extraction. Far away, Air Force Captain Eddie “Reaper” Grimm operates an MQ-9 Reaper drone and attempts to support Kinney through radio communication and aerial surveillance.
The film presents their connection as the emotional center of the story. Kinney has the direct, physical experience of combat; Reaper has a remote and highly technical view of it. Their communication becomes a fragile lifeline as command decisions, enemy pressure, damaged equipment, and human error narrow the possibilities for rescue. The official premise describes the crisis as a 48-hour battle for survival centered on the principle of leaving no man behind. (Paramount Pictures; The Avenue)
Cast and characters
| Actor | Character | Role in the story |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Hemsworth | Air Force Staff Sergeant JJ “Playboy” Kinney | A rookie JTAC and the main ground-level protagonist |
| Russell Crowe | Air Force Captain Eddie Grimm “Reaper” | The remote MQ-9 operator guiding Kinney |
| Luke Hemsworth | Sergeant Abel | A member of the Delta Force team |
| Ricky Whittle | Sergeant Bishop | A member of the ground team |
| Milo Ventimiglia | Master Sergeant John “Sugar” Sweet | A senior operator and team-leader figure |
| Chika Ikogwe | Staff Sergeant Nia Branson | Reaper’s colleague at the control station |
| Daniel MacPherson | Colonel Duz Packett | A senior officer at the base |
| Robert Rabiah | Saeed Hashimi | The Abu Sayyaf leader opposing the team |
| Jack Finsterer | Victor Petrov | The Russian-linked intelligence target |
Liam and Luke Hemsworth are brothers in real life, but their characters are not brothers in the film. Liam plays Kinney, while Luke plays Abel. (Paramount Pictures; Netflix Tudum)
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Is Land of Bad based on a true story?
No. Land of Bad is not an adaptation of a documented military operation, book, or identifiable real mission. Kinney, Reaper, Hashimi, Petrov, and the rescue operation are fictional creations.
What is real is the research behind selected elements. Eubank and Frigerio spent time with JTAC instructors at Fort Irwin, observed military exercises, and worked with a real drone pilot associated with Creech Air Force Base. The actors trained with retired SAS personnel in Brisbane, practicing weapons handling, room clearing, reloads, and tactical movement. Kinney’s name was reportedly taken from a JTAC instructor who advised the production. (Task & Purpose; Borrowing Tape)
That distinction matters. The movie borrows authentic terminology, weapons, roles, and operational ideas, but research consultation does not turn a fictional plot into a true story. The most accurate description is: a fictional survival thriller informed by real military research.
What does JTAC mean?
JTAC stands for Joint Terminal Attack Controller. A JTAC is a qualified service member who works from a forward position and coordinates close air support for troops on the ground. The role involves communicating with aircraft, identifying targets, helping coordinate fires, and ensuring that air support is directed toward the intended objective. (U.S. Air Force JTAC explainer)
A TACP, or Tactical Air Control Party, is the broader team or organizational structure that integrates air power with a ground unit. JTAC is the individual qualification or function; TACP is not simply another word for the person holding that qualification. In the film, Kinney is an Air Force TACP/JTAC attached to an Army special-operations mission.
Kinney is therefore not the drone pilot. He is on the ground, coordinating air support. Reaper is the remote operator responsible for controlling and supporting the aircraft. That distinction is central to the movie’s tension.
Rank #2
- THIS TRENDS 24X36 STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE - ONE SHEET WALL POSTER uses high-resolution artwork and is printed on premium FSC-Certified Gloss Poster Paper
- HIGH QUALITY ART PRINT is ready-to-frame or can be hung on the wall using poster mounts, clips, push pins, or thumb tacks
- OFFICIALLY LICENSED wall poster
- PERFECT SIZE for any room; poster is 24" x 36"
- EASILY DECORATE any space to create the perfect decor for a party, bedroom, bathroom, kids room, living room, office, dorm, and more
What is the MQ-9 Reaper drone?
The word “Reaper” refers both to Crowe’s callsign and to the MQ-9 Reaper, the remotely piloted aircraft featured in the story.
The U.S. Air Force describes the MQ-9 system as a remotely piloted aircraft used for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, close air support, precision strike, target development, and terminal air guidance. A complete operational system includes the aircraft, a ground control station, satellite-link equipment, and separate operational and maintenance personnel. The standard remote crew includes a pilot and a sensor operator. (U.S. Air Force MQ-9 fact sheet)
The aircraft can carry weapons including AGM-114 Hellfire missiles and guided bombs. The Air Force fact sheet says an MQ-9 can employ up to eight Hellfires, although the actual loadout depends on the aircraft model, mission, and configuration. (MQ-9 fact sheet; AGM-114 Hellfire fact sheet)
The film simplifies this larger system into a concentrated two-character drama. Real MQ-9 missions involve additional personnel, intelligence support, communications infrastructure, maintenance, command authorities, and rules of engagement. That simplification makes the relationship between Kinney and Reaper legible, but it should not be mistaken for a complete depiction of drone operations.
Who are the Abu Sayyaf?
The film uses the real name Abu Sayyaf Group for its antagonists. Abu Sayyaf is a Philippines-based extremist organization historically linked to al-Qaeda and later associated with ISIS-related networks. It has operated primarily in western Mindanao and the Sulu Archipelago and has been associated with bombings, assassinations, extortion, and kidnappings for ransom. The U.S. State Department designated the group a foreign terrorist organization in 1997. (National Counterterrorism Center)
Using a real organization gives the fictional mission a recognizable geopolitical setting, but the film does not recreate a specific documented Abu Sayyaf operation. The compound, characters, rescue attempt, and 48-hour crisis are inventions of the movie.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Ending explained
Spoilers for the entire movie follow.
The mission breaks down after the team is ambushed. Kinney becomes separated from the operators and is eventually captured. Bishop is held prisoner, while Sugar survives long enough to help Kinney attempt to reach the enemy facility.
Sugar is executed during the attempt. Kinney is then tortured by Hashimi’s forces, including a sequence in which he is held underwater. A bombing strikes the compound while Kinney is being held, and the blast creates the opportunity for him to survive and escape.
Kinney kills Hashimi and tries to contact the base so the remaining strike can be canceled. The final danger is caused not only by enemy action but by a communications failure: personnel at the base are distracted by a basketball game, while Reaper is away from the control station. Reaper eventually receives Kinney’s emergency message, returns, and prevents the final strike from killing Kinney and the surviving personnel. (IMDb plot summary; The Review Geek)
Rank #3
- 80's Favorite Movies - Back To The Future - Movie Poster (Regular Style) - Unframed
- Regular Style
- Release Year: 1985
- LARGE 24" x 36" WALL SIZE UNFRAMED POSTER: Eye-catching design fills your wall with inspiration and color. Perfect for creating a bold visual centerpiece on any wall
- VIBRANT, HIGH-RESOLUTION PRINT: Printed on high-quality paper with bold colors and sharp detail that pop in any lighting - creating a professional, premium look.
What the ending means
The ending does not reveal that the mission was real. Instead, it underlines the film’s concern with institutional attention and human responsibility. The technology is powerful, but it only protects people when operators, commanders, and support staff remain focused on the human consequences of their decisions.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesThe basketball-game distraction can function as both grim comic relief and institutional criticism: Kinney’s life is at risk while the people who could help him are momentarily absorbed in something ordinary. The interpretation that the film is criticizing bureaucratic detachment and remote violence is analysis, not a definitive explanation supplied by the filmmakers. Eubank has described the film as asking whether there can be a “better version of violence.” (ComicBook.com interview)
How realistic is the military depiction?
The fairest answer is authentic in selected details, heavily dramatized in its overall scenario.
What the filmmakers researched
- Real JTAC instructors and drone operators advised the production.
- Eubank spent weeks with JTAC instructors at Fort Irwin and observed military exercises.
- The production worked with a real drone pilot connected to Creech Air Force Base.
- The control station was designed to resemble real arrangements, with practical changes made for filmmaking.
- Actors trained with retired SAS personnel in Brisbane.
- The film uses real military terminology, weapons, and the real MQ-9 platform.
Eubank also said that the filmmakers shot the action scenes first so Russell Crowe could react to actual footage on the drone-control screens. That production choice helped connect the remote control-room scenes to the physical action being shown. (Task & Purpose; Moveable Fest)
Where the film uses action-movie compression
The movie reduces a complex joint operation to a direct relationship between one isolated JTAC and one drone pilot. It also arranges events for suspense: a rookie becomes the decisive surviving operator, communications fail at the most dramatic moments, weapons and support appear within the limits of the story, and Reaper assumes an unusually personal level of responsibility.
Recommended Free Tools
Those choices do not erase the film’s authentic details, but they make Land of Bad a military-informed action film rather than a procedural account of MQ-9 operations, JTAC coordination, intelligence missions, or special-operations command structures.
Online viewers have raised questions about uniforms, aircraft continuity, HALO terminology, and other tactical details. Unless a criticism comes from a named expert or systematic technical review, such points should be treated as informal observations rather than settled evidence that the entire film is inaccurate.
Where was Land of Bad filmed?
Although the story takes place in the Philippines, principal photography was carried out in Queensland, Australia, especially around the Gold Coast and southeast Queensland. Australian locations and production facilities were used to create the Southeast Asian jungle environment. (Screen Queensland)
The shoot lasted just under 45 days. Cutting Edge provided picture post-production and visual-effects work, including CGI aircraft used in the final action sequence. (Ausfilm)
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchRank #4
- THIS TRENDS 24X36 STAR WARS: REVENGE OF THE SITH - ONE SHEET uses high-resolution artwork and is printed on premium FSC-Certified Gloss Poster Paper
- HIGH QUALITY ART PRINT is ready-to-frame or can be hung on the wall using poster mounts, clips, push pins, or thumb tacks
- OFFICIALLY LICENSED wall poster
- PERFECT SIZE for any room; poster is 24" x 36"
- EASILY DECORATE any space to create the perfect decor for a party, bedroom, bathroom, kids room, living room, office, dorm, and more
Filming the physical action before the control-room material was another practical decision. It allowed Crowe to see relevant footage on his monitors and respond to the developing situation rather than perform every drone sequence against empty screens. (Task & Purpose)
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Budget and box office
Eubank described the production budget as just under $20 million. The Numbers reports a U.S. theatrical gross of $4,620,045, international theatrical revenue of $1,975,002, and worldwide theatrical box office of $6,595,047. Its U.S. opening weekend was $1,840,510. (Moveable Fest; The Numbers)
Those figures indicate that the theatrical run was modest relative to the reported production budget. They do not, by themselves, prove the film’s total profit or loss. Marketing costs, distribution agreements, digital rentals, physical media, streaming licenses, and other revenue are not fully represented by theatrical gross.
The film’s home-video and digital release began on March 19, 2024. Highland Film Group later stated that it reached number one on Netflix in the United States after its streaming release. That ranking should be treated as a distributor-reported result rather than an independently audited measure of long-term popularity. (The Numbers; Highland Film Group)
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Reviews and audience response
Scores checked on August 10, 2026 show a clear critic-audience gap:
| Source | Critics | Audience/users |
|---|---|---|
| Rotten Tomatoes | 66% Tomatometer from 64 reviews | 93% Popcornmeter from more than 250 verified ratings |
| Metacritic | 57/100 from 10 critics | 5.8/10 from 69 user ratings |
Critics generally praised the energetic action staging, Russell Crowe’s abrasive and eccentric performance, the unusual ground-to-drone structure, and the production value achieved by an independent action film. The film’s survival-thriller momentum is its most consistent strength.
Negative reviews focused on generic antagonists, heavy-handed military messaging, broad tonal shifts, overextended control-room scenes, and a formulaic rescue story beneath the technical premise. Rotten Tomatoes describes it as an effective survival thriller with exciting set pieces and a strong cast, while RogerEbert.com was substantially more critical of its characterization and political tone. (Rotten Tomatoes; Metacritic)
The split is understandable. Viewers looking for fast, violent, accessible military action may enjoy the film’s momentum and technical flavor. Viewers expecting a nuanced geopolitical drama or a fully realistic account of modern warfare may find its villains, jokes, and convenient failures too conventional.
Where to watch Land of Bad in the United States
Availability checked: August 10, 2026. Streaming rights change by country and date, and the public listings available for this film are not completely consistent.
Best Value
- Jurassic Park - Movie Poster (Regular Style) - Unframed
- Regular Style / Key Art
- LARGE 24" x 36" WALL SIZE UNFRAMED POSTER: Eye-catching design fills your wall with inspiration and color. Perfect for creating a bold visual centerpiece on any wall
- VIBRANT, HIGH-RESOLUTION PRINT: Printed on high-quality paper with bold colors and sharp detail that pop in any lighting - creating a professional, premium look.
- READY TO HANG OR FRAME: Fits standard 24" x 36" frames, making display quick and easy.
- Subscription streaming: Rotten Tomatoes currently lists Hulu.
- Rental and purchase: Rotten Tomatoes lists Fandango, while a JustWatch U.S. scan dated July 27, 2026 listed Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, and Fandango At Home.
- Netflix: Netflix carried the film in the United States after its July 18, 2024 streaming debut, but current availability depends on country and account region. Check the live Netflix title page.
Use the JustWatch U.S. locator and the Apple TV page before subscribing or renting. A listing from 2024 should not be treated as proof that the film remains on Netflix or Hulu today.
Content warnings
Land of Bad contains frequent gunfire and explosions, bloody injuries, stabbings, hand-to-hand combat, terrorism, imprisonment, strong language, and a torture sequence involving punching and drowning. The Australian Classification Board describes the film as containing strong violence and coarse language and specifically notes the torture scene. (Australian Classification Board)
Who should watch it?
The film is a good fit for viewers who want an R-rated military action movie with jungle survival, rescue-mission suspense, drone warfare, and a strong contrast between a physically exposed soldier and a remote operator. Russell Crowe’s comic, abrasive control-room performance and Liam Hemsworth’s more physical lead turn give the film a recognizable personality.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
It may frustrate viewers who dislike one-dimensional terrorist villains, broad military humor, convenient communications failures, action-film improbability, or stories that raise serious questions about remote violence without fully developing them as political drama.
Its central trade-off is simple: the film gains immediacy by simplifying the military system. That makes the Kinney-Reaper relationship easy to follow, but it also limits how much the movie can explain about the real-world organizations and procedures it references.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Land of Bad based on a true story?
No. The characters and mission are fictional. The filmmakers researched real JTACs, drone operators, military exercises, and tactical procedures, but the movie does not recreate a documented operation.
What does JTAC mean in Land of Bad?
JTAC means Joint Terminal Attack Controller. Kinney coordinates close air support from the ground; he is not the remote pilot of the MQ-9 Reaper drone.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Where was Land of Bad filmed?
The film was set in the southern Philippines but filmed primarily in Queensland, Australia, especially around the Gold Coast and southeast Queensland.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: Land of Bad works best as a muscular, technically flavored survival thriller built around the unusual connection between a stranded JTAC and an MQ-9 operator. It is not a true story and should not be treated as a complete account of modern warfare, but its researched details give the familiar rescue plot a distinctive ground-to-drone perspective.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
