Warfare Review- A Harrowing and Raw Portrayal of War

Warfare is a real-time Iraq war film directed by Alex Garland (Civil War 2024) and co-directed and co-written by Ray Mendoza a former US Navy Seal who was a part of this real US mission in Iraq, 2006.

Warfare is a close to real time re-enactment of a battle fought during the Iraq war using only real life memories from the soldiers involved. The film follows a group of Navy Seals who hide in an Iraqi town to complete surveillance ahead of troops arriving the next day, when their hideout is spotted they must rely on each other to get everyone out of there alive. What is so unique about this war film is that it gives such a raw and honest representation of war. The film doesn't give us any background to the characters, we are thrown into the battle with them watching these soldiers fight to protect each other.

The ensemble cast of rising talents contribute to the gripping realism of the film, you can see the effort and intense training that went into the preparation for this film. Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Kit Connor, Charles Melton, Michael Gandolfini and Joseph Quinn all give powerful performances. The standout role for me was Joseph Quinn whose howls of pains after being injured during battle go on and on and on, these inescapable cries depict the harrowing trauma these soldiers experienced, leaving a lasting impact on the audience.

Garland and Mendoza's filmmaking forces the audience to watch the fear, pain and blood that is experienced during the war. It doesn't take a stance on the moral questions about war but is more of a forceful depiction of war that is a realistic representation of what soldiers go through. The film opens with the upbeat dance tune "Call on Me" by Eric Prydz, and then straight away cuts to the start of the mission. For the rest of the film there is no music, instead the audience feel like part of the soldiers hearing all the overlapping sounds that soldiers experience- gunfire, bombs, constant ringing in their ears, important orders being shouted out, and the constant screams of their comrades. This use of sound adds to the visceral intensity of the action, contributing to the gripping realistic presentation of war.

Warfare is an emotional harrowing and unflinching portrayal of the Iraq war. At moments the fear and brutality shown on screen made me want to look away, but I was also so immersed the whole time that I could never take my eyes off the screen. Garland and Mendoza have created a haunting and deeply affecting war film that resonates long after the credits roll, delivering delivering a powerful portrayal of war with lasting emotional weight.