Warfare review

WARFARE: 

ALEX GARLAND-DIRECTED WAR FILM IS ONE OF HIS BEST FILMS IN YEARS! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: **** out of 4

A24

A soldier in the Iraq War in Warfare

 

            Director Alex Garland (Ex-Machina, Annihilation, Civil War) returns to war and this time he’s bringing along Iraq War Veteran, Ray Mendoza to co-direct in Warfare, the new war action film based on Mendoza’s real-life experiences of fighting in the Iraq War in 2006. Alex Garland is a fascinating director to me, I loved Ex-Machina and Annihilation with the former being one of my favorite films of 2015 while 2022’s Men and last year’s Civil War were pretty divisive, I really liked the latter though I acknowledged it had problems. 

            Now we have Warfare which I hadn’t seen a single trailer for in theaters though I saw the standee and posters in lobbies before. In fact, I watched the trailer on YouTube for the first time right before going to see the movie. 

            So, is Warfare the long-awaited return to form for Alex Garland after his polarizing recent efforts? Honestly, yes! 

            This is an incredible, nail-biting experience that demands to be seen and heard in a theater whether IMAX, Dolby Cinema, RPX, or even just a normal movie theater, it’s a big screen film. I will say this isn’t a very story or character-driven movie as much of it takes place during real time and consists of watching Mendoza and his platoon (Though all the people’s names except Mendoza were changed) re-enacting an encounter they experienced on November 19, 2006, in the wake of the Battle of Ramadi that’s based on their memories, this isn’t like The Hurt Lockeror Black Hawk Down and more like Dunkirk where it’s about the experience and spectacle. 

            The film is set in 2006 Ramadi and follows communicator/JTAC, Ray Mendoza (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai-Reservation Dogs, Fitting In, Hell of a Summer) and his Navy SEAL platoon taking control of a multi-story house to monitor a neighborhood market across the street. However, this surveillance mission goes horribly wrong thus turning into a fight for their lives as these brave soldiers must overcome bomb blasts, gunfire, and loss of limbs in this grisly battle for survival and escape. 

            The film also stars Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, A Quiet Place: Day One, Gladiator II) as Sam, Charles Melton (The Sun Is Also a Star, Bad Boys for Life, May December) as Jake, Will Poulter (We’re the Millers, Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3, Death of a Unicorn) as Erik, Cosmo Jarvis (Lady Macbeth, Hunter Killer, The Odyssey) as Elliott Miller, Kit Connor (Slaughterhouse Rulez, Rocketman, The Wild Robot) as Tommy, Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country) as John, Taylor John Smith (Hunter Killer, The Outpost, Where the Crawdads Sing) as Frank, Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark, Bob Marley: One Love, Daredevil: Born Again) as LT McDonald, and Noah Centineo (Austin & Ally, To All the Boys franchise, Black Adam) as Brian/Zawi. 

            Overall, Warfare is an explosive yet emotionally impactful war drama that constantly leaves you on the edge of your seat from the opening title card up until the end credits. Despite the movie taking place in one location throughout most of its duration aside from a few aerial shots and scenes outside, it feels very large and cinematic with intense sequences and phenomenal sound editing. 

            The opening sequence is one of my new favorite introductions to a film where you’re watching these Navy SEAL operatives traverse through this house with little dialogue and no music and waiting for an explosion or gunshot to happen thus when it actually does happen it’s genuinely shocking and impactful. You feel every explosion, gunshot, and blast in this movie and the crew that did the sound design and mixing easily deserve awards attention next year. 

            When I said this movie is intense I really fucking meant it where people are killed or brutally injured in graphic ways to the point where it can be hard to watch. I was squirming a bit in my seat while hearing soldiers scream in pain after being severely wounded and other people in the platoon trying to treat them, it all feels real. 

            While the movie doesn’t rely on the typical war movie soldier stereotypes, it does feature an ensemble cast portraying these people and every single performance feels very natural and believable. Nobody has a special quirk or character trait; they’re all Navy SEAL operatives trying to cope with the horrors of the situations they’re in so you get these very intense and painful portrayals of the soldiers. 

            The movie also draws some parallels to Garland’s previous film, Civil War where instead of establishing how this horrific event came to be, it jumps you right in the middle of it and will likely lead to different ways audiences perceive the film. It’s a heroic story about soldiers fighting for their country while also being an anti-war movie that shows the horrors of the effects it has on people from both sides. 

            Warfare isn’t just a movie; it’s goddamn cinema that must be seen in a theater to get the full experience. It’s a loud, grisly, and emotionally powerful story about courage, brotherhood, and the effects of modern warfare that ranks among Ex-Machina and Annihilation as one of Alex Garland’s best projects…also, 10 massive points for putting the 28 Years Later trailer in front of this movie which Garland wrote the screenplay for.