The US Government Responds to a Military-Backed Coup in New Documentary 'War Game'

It's Jan. 6, 2025. Losing presidential candidate Gov. Robert Strickland (played by actor Chris Coffey, "Trust") calls on his supporters and members of the U.S. military to join him in taking back the election that was "stolen" from him. The winning candidate, President John Hotham (played by actual former Montana Gov. Steve Bullock), and his team of advisers have six hours in the White House situation room to preserve American democracy and prevent a civil war.

"War Game" is not a fictional movie; it's a documentary about a real-world war game hosted by the Vet Voice Foundation, a nonprofit veterans action group designed to motivate vets to become civic leaders around the country. In September 2022, the group hosted an actual exercise that simulated an escalation in the violence around the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol insurrection. In this exercise, however, members of the U.S. military joined the insurrectionist cause.

Vet Voice invited real-world policy experts and former government staffers to join the game as participants. The cast included a bipartisan group of American veterans, U.S. defense and intelligence officials, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations. Along with Gov. Bullock, role players included Elizabeth Neumann (deputy chief of staff for the Department of Homeland Security under President Donald Trump), Jack Tomarchio (deputy assistant secretary of homeland security under President George W. Bush), Lou Caldera (secretary of the Army under President Bill Clinton) and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Gen. (ret.) Wesley Clark, along with former Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and former North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp.

Filmmakers Jesse Moss ("Boys State") and Tony Gerber ("Full Battle Rattle") got unprecedented access to film the unscripted six-hour game, contributing sets such as the Situation Room, Press Briefing Room and Red Cell headquarters to add to the veracity of the situation. The resulting film is a political thriller that feels like a high-stakes, real-world situation.

The game was inspired by a December 2021 op-ed in The Washington Post, written by three retired generals, that called on the Department of Defense to conduct such a war game should another Jan. 6-like insurrection unfold after the 2024 presidential election. Vet Voice invited the bipartisan panel of experts to play as U.S. government officials while a team of military veterans, experts in extremist tactics, operated as the Red Cell (opposing forces) to prevent the peaceful transfer of power.

"The purpose of the exercise," as Vet Voice explained in a statement, "was to assess weakness and vulnerabilities within our political system, [to] harden our democratic institutions, and [to] better prepare our political and military leaders to confront and manage such a crisis. ... If the Red Cell wins, democracy loses."

Viewers might have seen some familiar faces in the "War Game" trailer. British journalist Isha Sesay joined the game as a journalist for the fictional INN news service, while neoconservative stalwart Bill Kristol and former National Security Council member Lt. Col. (ret.) Alexander Vindman served as game consultants.

The Daily Beast called the film "non-fiction nightmare fuel" while Variety said it "could be a prequel to Alex Garland's 'Civil War.'" Vulture even included it in its list of the best movies at the Sundance Film Festival.

"War Game" comes at a time when voters are increasingly concerned about a repeat of the Jan. 6 insurrection. The Supreme Court ruled that whether the 14th Amendment's insurrection clause applies to former President Donald Trump's eligibility to run for the office again is for Congress to decide, leaving many to question that the ruling leaves the door open for another Capitol riot. Some voters even believe the country is on the brink of another civil war, while the overwhelming majority say democracy is being threatened in this election.

Find out if a house divided can really stand when "War Game" opens in select theaters on Aug. 2, 2024.

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