WARFARE Gets Real

WARFARE (Blu-ray)

2025 / 95 min

A24 Films

Review by Mr. Bonnie, the Bradley Driver😸

Warfare tells a true story, as co-written and co-directed by a guy who was there. In 2006, Ray Mendoza was part of a Navy SEAL team deployed in Ramadi, Iraq. Ordered to support U.S. Marines, they commandeer a two-story house in the middle of town, which provides an optimum vantage point to keep surveillance on some suspicious locals. 

After a grenade is thrown into the house, injuring one of them, a brief firefight breaks out. During the lull, they realize they need to evacuate him and call in a CASEVAC. When it finally arrives, a few soldiers assist the injured man outside while other provide cover. However, the vehicle is suddenly bombed by the enemy. A few are killed and two others are seriously injured. The remaining soldiers retreat back into the house, dragging their screaming comrades out of harm’s way…for now.

Meanwhile, enemy fighters begin closing in. The remainder of the story focuses on the team’s efforts to get the hell out of there as soon as possible, especially since the two soldiers’ injuries are dire. But with other U.S. troops and SEAL teams dealing with conflicts of their own, getting two more CASEVACs to their location is easier said than done.

I haven’t actually named any of the characters. Of course they have names, but that’s literally the extent of any characterization provided for them. This isn’t about characters. It isn’t even really about a historical battle, nor the war they’re fighting. Comparatively speaking, the conflict depicted here would probably be considered a skirmish. However, Warfare is unlike any war movie I’ve ever seen. 

DoorDash has arrived.

Following a brief prologue, the entire story is presented in real time, and the obvious intention is to make the viewer feel like they’re right there with these men. As such, it succeeds brilliantly. The first act is almost lethargically uneventful, with snipers calmly keeping tabs on people across the street while others are more-or-less waiting around for something to happen. We get to know none of them personally. Hell, they barely even engage in any small talk. Nearly all of the film’s dialogue pertains to the situation, with a lot of military jargon, rapidly barked coordinates and radio chatter.

Then the film suddenly becomes chaotic and disorienting, exacerbated by the cinema verite style in which it's shot. Everything is up close & personal (including vivid bursts of violence) and the camera almost never stops moving. Dialogue, screaming and radio chatter frequently overlap each other, to the point the viewer isn’t always certain who is saying what. There are deceptively quiet respites from the mayhem here and there, but like these SEALs, the underlying tension keeps us from letting our guard down.

This is probably the closest most of us will ever get to experiencing what modern warfare is really like. The lack of characterization, dramatic flourishes and a music score makes everything look and sound even more authentic. Alex Garland co-directs with the same visceral blunt force he applied in Civil War, but this is obviously Ray Mendoza's film, the result of his and fellow SEALs’ recollection of that day.

There have been plenty of war movies that are more emotionally affecting, more incendiary, more thought provoking and certainly more spectacular. But Warfare is the first one I’ve ever seen where I felt like I was vicariously enduring what these guys did. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

FEATURETTE - Courage Under Fire: The Making of Warfare is an excellent 28 minute behind-the-scenes doc featuring interviews with co-writer/directors Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland and most of the main cast.

AUDIO COMMENTARY - By co-writer/directors Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland.

6 POSTCARDS - Featuring behind-the-scenes photos.