'War Game' - Featuring Real Government Officials, Documentary Simulates a U.S. Political Coup

War Game official trailer and release date — War Game (Thorsten Thielow)

With the upcoming U.S. election coming up, Submarine Deluxe debuted the official trailer for the new political documentary ‘War Game‘. The documentary film follows an unscripted role-play exercise played by a bipartisan group of US defense, intelligence, and elected policymakers spanning five presidential administrations.

Portraying a fictional President of the United States and his advisors, they confront a political coup backed by rogue members of the US military in the wake of a contested 2024 presidential election. Like actors in a thriller, but with profound real-world stakes, the players have only six hours to save American democracy.

Release Date

Directed by Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber, War Game opens in New York August 2, 2024. Expanding to additional markets including Los Angeles and Chicago August 9, 2024.

Former Governor of Montana, Steve Bullock in ‘War Game’. (Credit: Wolfgang Held)

Synopsis

A real-life political thriller set on January 6, 2025, ”War Game’ imagines a nation-wide insurrection in which members of the US military defect to support the losing Presidential candidate, while the winning candidate and his advisors—played by an all-star roster of senior officials from the last five administrations—war games the crisis in the White House situation room. They have 6 hours to save democracy as the country teeters on the brink of civil war.

“On January 6, 2023, at a hotel in Washington, DC, after months of meticulous planning, furious fundraising, and set design and construction, we convened a crew of eighty, a cast of forty, and six cameras, to document this unique and totally unscripted glimpse into our potential future. No one knew what would happen as our cameras rolled. Six hours later, we had our answer.” – said directors Jesse Moss and Tony Gerber about the film.

Reviews

Bilge Ebiri, in a Vulture review wrote, “Chilling. A political thriller in documentary form. Moss and Gerber clearly understand that the ticktock of this hypothetical insurgency will make for exciting cinema… [An] excellent film.”

Rodrigo Perez, in a The Playlist review also praised the film stating, “Plays like a riveting political thriller. Chilling and engrossing. [A] feeling of anxiety courses through the entirety of the 94-minute doc, which moves with ruthless precision… Sweeping, realistic, and theatrically escalating, ‘War Game’ is a must-watch and really enthralling stuff.”