Warfare

This new film from director Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later) and Iraq vet Ray Mendoza chronicles the latter’s harrowing experiences as a Navy SEAL. And we as viewers are mercilessly thrust headfirst into this experience for ninety minutes. The first twenty minutes or so effectively build tension while we see the mundane routine of the soldiers, as they survey the surrounding area for any suspicious activity or potential enemies. In other films, this initial stretch could quickly become boring to watch. However, the filmmakers use these scenes to make us feel increasingly uneasy, preparing us for when everything goes to hell.

Further making it feel like an experience rather than a dramatization is that this plays out in real time. Gone are any slow-motion, expected melodrama, or flashbacks to earlier days with family before this. Garland and Mendoza deliberately decided to take an apolitical approach. Also laudable is the choice to resist glamorizing or romanticizing the war violence. Aside from a few recognizable stars such as Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things), Michael Gandolfini (The Many Saints of Newark), and Will Poulter (Detroit), the cast feels more like a real band of brothers more than a celebrity ensemble. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (who starred in Hell of a Summer recently) was chosen to portray Ray Mendoza.

However, the real stars here are the impeccable sound design and absence of music. Whether a jet is flying overhead or an explosion is going off, you don’t hear it: you feel it. This makes everything feel especially visceral and the danger more real. A terrific example is a scene that shows men in the shocking aftermath of a detonation that depicts the effect on their hearing remarkably well. The strength of Warfare is its ability to completely immerse you in the intensity and carnage, while also clearly acting as an appreciation for the men who did (and continue to) risk their lives to protect our country. Whatever your thoughts on the real Iraq conflict, watching these men risk their lives for comrades in need is incredibly inspiring.

The choice to focus on the experience rather than the individuals might leave you wishing for more depth. I can also see some viewers wishing there was at least some political stance. Garland made the same decision with last year’s Civil War, but while it was well-received, the film was criticized for that. Additionally, the abrupt, inconclusive nature of the ending is definitely going to leave you wanting more. Civil War also did this, but I was more forgiving here because there is a point. War is hell, and particularly in this case, Mendoza’s account is not wrapped up with a tidy bow.

Make no mistake: Warfare will not be for everybody. It is a thoroughly nerve-wrecking experience that will make you jump in your seat more than once (I know I did!). But veterans who see it will feel appreciated, and if you can survive it, you will likely come away feeling inspired. This may not be the best war movie ever. Yet no other one has done such an effective job of being so utterly compelling and captivating from start to finish. That is what makes it one of the best films of the year so far.

Rated R

1 hour, 35 minutes