Warfare skips the backstories, skips the reasons behind why American boots are on foreign soil, and instead is laser-focused on a specific 2006 mission in Ramadi, Iraq. By eschewing every Hollywood war movie trope, Warfare catapults the genre into striking new territory.
What co-writers/co-directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland deliver is a visceral and unrelenting examination of the effects of war on the men and women who serve our country. It’s not glamorous. There aren’t any shirtless hunks working out and cracking jokes about their wives or girlfriends back home. We’re never even told anything about the private lives of the men involved in the mission. That alone sets Warfare apart from decades of war films.
Mendoza, drawing on his memories of the battle and those shared by his fellow SEALs, filters out all the extraneous noise, allowing the audience to feel immersed in the battle alongside the SEALs who fought it. The constant sounds of bullets and heavier artillery provide the soundtrack to the harrowing events unfolding in real-time on the screen. Once the SEALs come under attack, the true, sheer brutality of war is unleashed.
Two critically injured SEALs add their voices to the soundtrack, wailing in agony and pleading for relief from pain via morphine. It’s unnerving sitting in a theater listening to these men who’ve suffered traumatic injuries. Being there in person as it was happening is almost unthinkable. But Warfare forces you to put yourself in their shoes as they face an enemy who is more heavily armed and greatly outnumbers them.
Decisions are made on the fly that are shocking but reflect the reality of what the SEALs were going through while pinned down. Mendoza and Garland do not sugarcoat or gloss over the doubts voiced by the men, including their leaders, while the attack was underway. But they also show the willpower and sheer grit needed to overcome those doubts.
Garland and Mendoza, who first collaborated on Civil War, assembled an exceptionally talented group of young actors to fill out the ensemble. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (as Ray Mendoza), Will Poulter, Kit Connor, Charles Melton, Joseph Quinn, Michael Gandolfini, and Cosmo Jarvis are the standouts, but the entire ensemble is fully committed to honoring the real men they portray. Many of the SEALs were on set and accessible to the actors, and a three-week boot camp experience helped them form a strong bond. It also helped them understand the teamwork required to survive in a situation where they had to depend solely on each other.
The production design is outstanding, and the editing is a masterclass in how to cut a film that reflects real-time events. The sound design, acting as an additional key character in the film, is truly remarkable. The sounds of war never let up, and when the characters have their ears rung by a close-proximity flyover, the audience also feels the jet’s propulsion rattle in our bones.
There was a lot of rumbling online prior to the first Warfare screenings that Garland and Mendoza’s film would be pro-American and pro-military. It’s neither. Instead, Garland and Mendoza don’t spell out how we should feel, allowing us to draw our own conclusions. Warfare definitely isn’t a 90-minute recruitment ad. It’s unlikely anyone will watch this film and immediately join the military. What Warfare absolutely nails is honoring those who put their lives on the line for their country in the most brutally violent and horrifyingly honest way possible.
GRADE: A
Rating: R for language throughout, intense war violence, and bloody, grisly images
Running Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Release Date: April 11, 2025
Studio: A24
The post ‘Warfare’ Review: Raw, Real, and Unflinchingly Honest appeared first on ShowbizJunkies.
0 Comments