Warfare: A Distressful Yet Realistic Approach on War

Warfare provides a harrowing cinematic experience combining co-writer and co-director Ray Mendoza’s tactical realism and fellow co-writer and co-director Alex Garland’s provocative filmmaking; the latter complimenting an ambitious and polarizing Civil War with an unrelenting, grounded depiction of modern war. Based on Mendoza’s own personal experiences as a Navy SEAL, the film follows a platoon of Navy SEALs on a mission in the Iraq War during the Battle of Ramadi in November 2006. It incorporates an ensemble cast of rising stars, including D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, who takes on the mantle of Mendoza himself during his time as a communications officer on this mission.

Mendoza’s experience in stunt coordination and Garland’s punctilious direction provide a bone-chilling recreation of war through their utilization of filmmaking techniques, as Warfare creates a hyper-intensive immersion experience that does not let go until the end. The lack of score is intelligently substituted for blaring sound design that will surely shake any IMAX theater with unceasing gunfire, explosions, and jet flybys. The labored breathing, painful cries, and ringing ears round out this sensory overload of sound that will discombobulate audiences to experience the level of intensity these men face at that moment.

The incorporation of Eric Prydz’s Call on Me in the opening sequence immediately sets the tone for the intensity and overstimulation that quickly rains down, as the level of danger heightens. The characterization of these men is purposefully absent as the film promptly jumps into their mission, leaving audiences to form their own conclusions around their military ranks and the responsibilities that come with it, as opposed to the Hollywood hierarchy of cast billing setting implicit expectations on who to believe is the lead. Each actor is allocated an appropriate amount of screen time to indicate every pivotal role on the team and why they are important for the effectiveness of their mission. Mendoza and Garland’s choice to avoid such characterization of these roles may seem to render this group of men indistinguishable from the next. However, the significance of this choice is that these men are as equally important in highlighting the accuracy of Warfare’s realism as the next platoon’s precarious situations.

Garland’s Civil War sparked discussion, not necessarily for his political portrayals of speculative fiction, but for the end result of his objectivity from the perspective of war journalism. His polarizing approach to objectivity has transferred to Warfare through his lack of characterization, undramatized action, and absence of depicting the consequences of war. Beyond a few powerful final shots, the film provides no leading indication of whether the audience should feel it is an anti-war or pro-war film. It exists as a medium for viewers to understand a realistic recreation of such conflicts faced in modern war. Garland is no stranger to piquing interest in his meanings through his sci-fi/horror approaches (Ex Machina, Annihilation, Devs, Men) and it likely will not be the last time. Regardless of the reception, it is interesting to note how dynamic Garland is at providing such themes to life, whether done meticulously or subtly.

In the end, Mendoza and Garland’s collaboration results in a riveting recreation of a Navy SEAL mission in the Iraq War that integrates incredible sound design and clever absence of characterization to depict this realistic terror. Garland’s reputation for providing provocative themes to the screen is once again put to the test as his filmmaking stance on political and military objectivity will once again be the turning point for one’s enjoyment of the film, for better or worse.

still courtesy of A24

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Costa Christoulas

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