Warfare
Warfare
2025, 95 mins., R
Written and Directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland
Produced by Andrew MacDonald, Allon Reich, Matthew Penry-Davey, Peter Rice
Cast: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn
**** out of ****
Upon approaching “Warfare” I was expecting something akin to Ridley Scott’s “Black Hawk Down” in which an extended battle plays out for nearly two and a half hours. What I got was something much different that closer to a real-life combat experience rather than an epic re-telling of one. The film is based entirely on the memories of the soldiers who fought in the battle and it plays much more realistic than a lot of Hollywood spectacles.
The film begins with a brotherly bonding moment of a platoon of soldiers gathered around and having a good time watching a video of women dancing. They get into the rhythms of the song by dancing around with smiles on their faces because this is the best glimpse of women that they will ever get in a combat zone. The sequence is even cut together in quick pace similar to the video they are watching amplifying the excitable spirit of the men as they are all crammed together enjoying themselves before heading out on patrol.
From the main title onward, the rest of the film is set in real time, a to-the-minute recounting of the events that took place on November 19, 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq. The platoon takes control of a two-story residence and set up sniper positions on the upper level. The snipers identify multiple potential Iraqi terrorists entering the building across the street with weapons. One sniper misses his opportunity at a clean shot at one of them claiming he moved too fast. Before they can act a grenade is tossed through the sniper’s hole in the wall and wounds him. They radio for a Bradley to evacuate the wounded and upon evacuation an IED explodes causing a fatality and two men severely wounded.
“Warfare” is intensely and unsparingly down-to-earth in its depiction of the battle. The combination of the writing and directing team has ensured a level of authenticity and superb visual aesthetic that rarely get in a Hollywood film. Ray Mendoza was an actual Iraq War veteran who based the film on his actual experience. Alex Garland is one of the most talented visual and literate storytellers of his generation. Together they combine to create a film that you not just watch but rather you experience it.
The technical craft of the film is not the typical style that’s heavy on carnage and handheld cameras. Don’t get me wrong the film is intense and extremely violent but it doesn’t send the violence in constant waves. This is a firefight against several terrorists, not a battle against an entire army. The camera moves more than it shakes making room for extended tracking shots and wide-angle lenses to cover the fighting.
“Warfare is as cinematic as it is compact in its storytelling. The film clocks in at a brisk 95 minutes and doesn’t feel small or a frame too short. The screenplay and the actors develop the characters through action rather than phony words. Their dialogue is mainly technical as it relates to the specifics of their mission and escalating situation. But they’re not like videogame fodder like on “Call of Duty”. We witness not just the bravery and brotherhood, but also the problem solving, the hesitation, the confusion, the mistakes, the desperation, and the risks they take to protect each other. We also sense the pain and misery of the wounded as they plea for morphine and scream in agony. The film lets you experience without the bludgeoning feeling of a heavy hand or an excess of style. In the most surprisingly it is one of the most subtle war films I’ve ever seen.
