Warfare hooks you in from the first frame and holds you tight for the next ninety minutes. The movie deals with an elite platoon of Navy SEALs who need to rely on each other to survive. Warfare is written and directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza. The script is based on real-life events that Mendoza experienced during his tour of Iraq. The movie is intense and puts you in the thick of it with these SEALs.
The movie starts by showing you the camaraderie within the squadron. We see the men watching a music video in their barracks, dancing and laughing before their next mission. The men are tasked to pick a location to prepare to cover the upcoming troops from any attacks. We are shown as the group randomly chooses a house to occupy and holds the owners captive while they set up inside.
In the middle of the night, they take over the house and once daylight hits, they are scouting the surrounding areas for any trouble that may arise. These are a few of the moments that we see how tedious some of these missions are. Instead of the “gung-ho” “Rah-rah” we have been shown in other military movies, Warfare shows us how these men have to wait for hours for something to happen. In these times, they are contacting headquarters to share their findings. The sniper looks at the people walking by, seeing who may be a threat. It is a long waiting period for these men.
Once the movie lulls you into a comfortable sense of safety, that is when all hell breaks loose. The men have to fight to survive once the house has been singled out and targeted. The team orders an evacuation to get out, but due to the hostile area, the ETA on that arrival could mean life or death. The audience now has to wait in this environment to be rescued along with the team. This is where the movie shines by putting the audience into the thick of it. In these moments, our anxiety levels rise as the team tries to stave off the oncoming attacks. They also have to deal with assisting wounded soldiers and just trying to stay calm as everything is blowing up around them.
Alex Garland’s use of sound in these moments raises the intensity level. There was a moment when I had to cover my ears due to all the different chatter being yelled on the screen. It was too much for me, but I can only imagine what it was like for the men who lived this scenario. The franticness of everything happening makes you glad that this is a movie, but it was not a movie for the men who were there.
Warfare does not glorify the military experience like war movies of the past. This film is focused on showing the audience the rawness of war in an unflinching manner. At his appearance at the Music Box Theater, Ray Mendoza stated that he wanted to make this movie to honor his fellow squadmates and share their story. We see his love for his team with real-life footage shown during the closing credits.
Final Thoughts: Warfare is the type of movie that will stick with you when you walk out of the theater. The anticipation of waiting for the evac team builds and increases the anxiety level of the audience as we wait for that moment. The entire cast consisting of Will Poulter, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Joseph Quinn, and Cosmo Jarvis, to name a few are phenomenal! This movie does not glorify war, it shows you the horrors of war and the aftermath left when the troops leave the area.
Kid-Friendly: The images of war are intense, and I would leave it at the parents’ discretion on what they think their kid can handle. Due to the intensity of some of the scenes, the curse words fly on the screen. I would recommend this for children 15 and up.
Violence: Warfare has some violent images ofn the screen. The violence is realistic and brutal.
A platoon of Navy SEALs embark on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.