Warfare – REVIEW

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Anticipating to rush home and catch a glimpse of my loved one!

Feeling confident with my lucky charm, I’ll be able to handle anything!

This is my final deployment before I can depart from the military.

In war films, these phrases are often uttered just before disaster strikes, but Warfare co-writer and co-director Alex Garland avoids such cliches as we observe a team of Navy SEALS enjoying Eric Prydz’s ‘Call on me’ music video, featuring an all-female aerobics class dressed in dental floss instead of leotards, which the soldiers approve of and bob their heads to the rhythm while grinning. It’s the first and last time they will smile before embarking on their mission to establish a surveillance post within a residential building in Ramadi, Iraq in 2006. They will stay there to provide cover for a ground troop offensive in the area, but this is where their smiles end.

In this team, we have Ray Mendoza (D’Pharoah Woon-A-Tai), commander Erik (Will Poulter), sniper Elliott (Cosmo Jarvis), MacDonald (Michael Gandolfini) and Sam (Joseph Quinn), along with two Iraqi scouts. For the first measured and meticulous half hour, they endure the monotony of waiting and watching for anything suspicious, with Elliott keeping a careful eye on jihadis in the street through his sniper rifle. The tension builds as they watch these insurgents, and the silence is often deafening. Alex Garland’s clever use of sound emphasizes Elliot’s breathing as he scrutinizes the potential threats across the road.

However, when Elliott takes a break and hands over to a less experienced colleague, things quickly turn south. A brief glimpse of a jihadi grabbing a heavy-duty machine gun in the opposite house occurs, causing a Navy SEAL to hesitate for a split second before deciding whether to shoot. Regrettably, it’s too late by then, and their position comes under immediate attack.

In what seems like real time, the soldiers are subjected to an intense barrage of gunfire and explosions that devastates a rescue carrier and injures two team members severely. The SEALs take cover in an apartment, but they lose air support, and their base refuses to send another rescue vehicle.

I’m truly captivated by the authenticity of their portrayal, where the roar of low-flying jets serves as a powerful demonstration, and the deafening explosions drown out not just the soldiers but also the viewers in the immersive experience. The film’s credibility is undeniably boosted by the involvement of Ray Mendoza, who not only served as a soldier in this specific event but has also acted as a military advisor for Garland’s Civil War. Now, as a co-writer and co-director, his personal memories seem to have shaped this film from what I’ve heard, making it an extraordinary depiction of reality.

In simpler terms, the movie “Warfare” condenses events into a tight, intense 95-minute duration, immersing you in the soldiers’ struggles and predicaments without delving too deeply into their team dynamics. Similarly, the Iraqi civilians who are temporarily occupying the same building are mostly absent or sidelined until late in the film. While Garland’s films are typically rich with underlying themes, “Warfare” seems to lack this depth. It’s a well-crafted movie, but viewers might find themselves questioning why this specific story was chosen for adaptation. The film isn’t an anti-war statement, it doesn’t offer political analysis, and its narrative is episodic due to being based on the soldiers’ memories. However, this doesn’t detract from the quality of the movie; Garland’s films are usually multilayered, but that’s not the case with “Warfare.

In a conversational tone, ‘Alex Garland (the director) along with actors Cosmo Jarvis and Kit Connor discuss their movie that’s based on real-life events….’

Here’s the Warfare trailer…..

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2025-04-18 02:24