War, what is it good for? Making movies like Warfare, that’s what. Although this isn’t a movie, it’s a film. Even though it is a film, I will call it a movie from here on.
I’ve never wanted to join the army, it’s not for me, I’m a chicken. If I had to have joined up, I would have been in the catering corps. It’s movies like Warfare that remind me why I don’t want to join the army.
Warfare stars D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Aaron Mackenzie, Alex Brockdorff, Finn Bennett, and Evan Holtman. Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, both write and direct.
The Story
Mendoza is a former Navy SEAL, and the movie is based on his memories of events that took place. The story is:
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.
We open with the best opening scene to a movie I’ve seen in a while. I won’t say what it is, but you will smile when you see it. We then move on to the main story, where a platoon is hiding out in a house in Iraq.
At first, everything is just dull; they are waiting for orders, watching the streets, and it’s the mundane day-to-day of a soldier’s life. The only person who has something to do is the sniper.
He lies out, rifle in hand, recording the people who are coming and going. It looks like there’s trouble, but they can’t quite make it out. Everything is tense, and everyone is a little on edge, then a grenade comes through a hole in the wall.
That’s all I’m going to say about the story; it’s pretty straightforward, but it’s edge-of-your-seat stuff.
Garland
Garland has an interesting resume; Ex Machina put him on the map, Annihilation was a bit overly complex, Men was the same. Then he made Civil War, which was an excellent idea, but I found it badly executed.
Warfare is a different kettle of fish altogether. It’s one of the best-directed movies I’ve seen in a while. The movie is just simple, there’s nothing over the top, there are no cameras flying around and up people’s noses.
In fact, there isn’t even any music, apart from the opening scene and the closing credits. This works so well, though, because I felt at times, I wasn’t watching a movie, I was watching a documentary.
The other thing that Garland does in Warfare is kill all the sound, sometimes, for a good 5 minutes. The visuals do all the work, guys are screaming, others are scared to death, some of them are just realising what is going on. It’s terrifying in places.
Warfare
The thing about the movie is it shows the realities of war, which many movies have done, but this is so well done. Don’t get me wrong, the opening to Saving Private Ryan is a difficult watch, but it’s directed in a way that it is still a movie.
As I said, there are times in Warfare where it felt like a documentary. I think having Mendoza co-direct helped Garland think outside the box. He’s a movie maker and thinks like one. I imagine Mendoza didn’t think like that, and it adds to the movie.
Being a soldier is a scary job. Fine, in peacetime it’s about training, working out, and hopefully having a laugh. Things change in the heat of battle.
All of a sudden, you have to remember all that training; how do you fix and patch up a gunshot? What do you do when you’ve called for backup and they are 10 minutes out? How do you deal with one of your mates who is screaming his lungs out because he’s bleeding, probably to death?
It’s a harrowing movie, but as I said, it’s a film, not a movie.
Overall
I’m not a big one for war movies; I can take them or leave them. What I am, though, is a fan of good movies. If you have a good story, good characters, and it’s well-directed, I’m happy.
In that respect, Warfare made me happy, as it’s an excellent movie. On the other hand, it’s not really ‘entertainment’. I’m not sure I could sit through it again. It is upsetting, and it made me wince in places.
However, I’m so glad I’ve seen it. It’s very well made, it’s edge-of-your-seat stuff and gripping. There are a couple of moments where I had my hand over my mouth, in other places, I’m fidgeting in my chair.
If you’re into war movies or not, Warfare is worth checking out for the spectacle of a great film. It’s a really solid movie. The end credits killed me.
Warfare is on VoD and streaming.
