Warfare is the latest film by A24 and serves as a recollection of director Ray Mendoza’s time during his deployment in Iraq. Photo: A24.
War films have been a part of cinema from as far back as the 1890s.
They often give glimpses into the horrific nature of a world that we, in our homes, are often oblivious to, while also serving as an insight into the heroism and sacrifice of the people who served their countries.
As time has gone on, filmmakers have attempted to recreate the environments and harshness of war, for better or worse and never has that been duplicated quite as well or as terrifyingly as directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s newest film, simply titled Warfare.
The film serves as a recollection of memories from Ray Mendoza’s time serving in Iraq as part of the US Navy Seals in 2006.
A group of 10 or so soldiers raid and infiltrate a building as part of a surveillance mission to monitor potential threats serving Al-Qaeda in the wake of the Battle of Ramadi.
After becoming unknowingly surrounded by the enemy, the soldiers look to extract themselves from their mission before the threat turns fatal.
To start, this film is a difficult, difficult watch, and that is because of the brilliance of the production that studio A24 gave its two directors.
It doesn’t focus too much on delivering a story; instead, it gives a harrowing point of view from a group of men in the worst situation imaginable.
The film is claustrophobic. It’s really only set in a single building and expanding no further than a single street. Despite the limited space, it clearly demonstrates how exhausting yet tense modern warfare is.
It’s not a typical Hollywood war film; it’s not trying to showcase heroism. Instead, it feels like a simulation, one that I never wish to revisit.
I can’t speak for what it’s like to serve in an active war zone, but for what it’s worth, I have never seen costumes, weaponry, military tactics or locations look as realistic as in this film. It’s akin to the D-Day scene of Saving Private Ryan in terms of how accurately the subject matter is depicted.
The realism is added by the complete lack of non-digetic sound in the film. Aside from a fun little boy’s club scene in the first few minutes, every sound heard is either a sound effect or a person talking. There’s no score, no soundtrack or voice-over. What you see is what you hear. This builds tension unlike any other movie I’ve ever seen, and when the action kicks off, you can’t help but feel suffocated.
The cast does an incredible job, too. No one is necessarily award-winning – it’s not that kind of film, but they all serve their purpose.
Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, Michael Gandolfini and Cosmo Jarvis all serve as a who’s who of character actors, each with separate identities but serving as part of a larger group.
Warfare’s realism and depiction of warfare make it a very good film, but not one I’ll ever want to revisit. It’s an incredible experience, just not a very fun one.
I have no doubt the film’s objective was to show just how terrifying war is, and to that end it succeeds.
Warfare is showing in select cinemas and is set to hit streaming at the end of May.
