WARFARE

Warfare takes viewers on a harrowing, adrenaline fueled ride in the latest film from acclaimed director Alex Garland, bringing to life a real life Navy SEAL mission from the memories of Garland’s co-writer and co-director Ray Mendoza, thanks to a talented young cast and an immersive sound design that creates a must see experience on the big screen.

Anyone who has seen an Alex Garland film knows that his films are always a technical marvel and are never shy from startling viewers… in a good way. Reuniting with Ray Mendoza, who was Garland’s military supervisor on last year’s Civil War, the two of them have co-written and co-directed this film based on Mendoza’s time in Iraq. While changing many of the names of the individual Navy SEAL members, the film plays out in real time as Mendoza builds the screenplay from his memories of the mission that Garland and he chose to focus on. The result is one of the most distressing war films ever caught on film, creating a stress inducing experience that bolsters strong direction, exceptional sound design and an unflinching realism that makes for one of the most unforgettable cinematic experiences of the year so far.

As a film, Warfare is less concerned about storytelling but rather focused on creating a visceral experience for the audience that captures the chaos of experience by the real life Navy SEALs back in November 2006 in Iraq. It is a slice of life film, but one that follows the events of the mission in real time as the Navy SEALs await to be evacuated after the mission goes sideways, based on the memories of Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza. The first act takes its time building the mission and the surveillance that the platoon is doing, creating an authentic world for the film. But once the mission goes sideways, immediately, the audience is plunged into the nightmare that the Navy SEALs experience as gunfire erupts, grenades are tossed, and smoke and dust obscures their vision as they find themselves surrounded and in a fight for their lives.

While it is not an action heavy war movie, what makes Warfare a heart pounding and visceral experience is the sound design. Each gunfire shot is felt and will rattle viewers, the aircraft doing flybys to show strength will nearly knock you out of your seat, and the mixing captures the disorienting experience of the Navy SEALs on the ground. With every scream of the injured SEALs, explosion, disorienting silence and gunfire shot, it feels like you are on the ground in Iraq, which is only heightened by Mendoza’s co-direction which recreates authentic military movements and the lack of a musical score that lets the sounds of battle blare loudly. It’s not for the faint of heart, as it is a grueling and realistic experience that will have your heart will be pounding throughout the film and you will leave the theatre incredibly stressed out, but the technical aspects of Warfare are an absolute marvel and demand that the film is seen on the big screen with the loudest sound system you can locate.

War films often make a statement about a conflict or the military, and unlike Garland and Mendoza’s previous collaboration, last year’s Civil War, which was a cautionary warning about the fragile political landscape of the United States, Warfare has no such agenda. It makes no pass on the Iraq conflict either way, but is a testament to the heroics of Mendoza and his platoon’s harrowing experience. With the immersive filmmaking on display, the film works as a reminder of the horrors of war and the cost of such conflict, reminding audiences why it should always be a last resort.

As the film is more about building an experience, there are no true standout performances from the film’s ensemble cast. Garland and Mendoza have lined up some of the hottest young actors currently working like Joseph Quinn, Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, Kit Connor, Charles Melton and Cosmo Jarvis, while also giving other great young talent like D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Taylor John Smith and Michael Gandolfini yet another excellent project to add to their resume. And the entire cast does a great job immersing the audience in the film. Capturing the confusion, fear, heroics, and knee jerk reactions of these Navy SEALs as they are plunged into absolute hell after their mission goes sideways, the cast recreates the experience and ensures that the audience is petrified in their seat as the horrors on screen unfold. Whether they be one of the injured SEALs, one who is absolutely shell shocked after what transpires, or one of the ones who emerged as a leader, there is no weak or inauthentic performance to be found in the film.

Time and time again Garland proves that he knows how to make a film that looks and sounds incredible, and Warfare is a prime example of that. Featuring what is setting an incredibly high bar for sound design for the rest of the year, Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza have created a unique, terrifying and brilliant depiction of war that not only captures the real life experience of armed forces on the ground, but does so with a technical prowess. With a bombastic sound design that puts the audience in the middle of the crossfire alongside the Navy SEALs and a solid ensemble cast, Warfare is an exceptional and unnerving cinematic event that gives audiences an experience that they won’t soon forget.