Score 8/10
Warfare, according to A24’s website, is a “visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it”. Portraying a real-time depiction of a 2006 mission in Iraq’s Ramadi province, the film shows the physical and psychological tension of a surveillance operation that turns into a brutal firefight. Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War and 28 Days Later), Warfare has received mostly positive reviews from both critics and news outlets alike, who have praised its filmmaking style and technical design but debated its political viewpoints.
Filmmaking Style, Technical Execution, and Sound Design
The New Yorker has declared Warfare “a hyperrealist rebuke of the American war movie.” Unlike films that feature dramatic speeches, cinematic heroism, or typical war movie tropes, Warfare is more grounded, using coordinated movements and gestures, stripped-down performances, and a tension-charged world to capture the audience’s attention. In the movie, the battlefield is both a physical and a psychological maze, with soldiers checking rooftops, exchanging glances, and adjusting their scopes while working together to complete the mission. Awards Radar agrees with The New Yorker that the stripped-down performances and choreography allow the audience to focus on the action, but it disagrees with The New Yorker on the emotional impact, arguing that this characteristic keeps it from being a satisfactory film.
The New York Times describes Warfare as “a combat movie that refuses to entertain” and that its highest praise is that it is not thrilling. In fact, much of the movie takes place inside a blocky, two-story building that is full of sleeping Iraqi inhabitants, opening with the soldiers bonding together though watching a music video Call on Me. This moment represents a fleeting glimpse of camaraderie and humanity just before the firefight occurs, further adding to the film’s grounded premise. Finally, The Reel Bits and Collider note that the film excels in technical execution but fails to dive into the deeper implications of the conflict. Oscillating between quiet observation and overwhelming sound and fury, the speed and pacing of the movie attracts the audience all the way through the end.
Warfare’s cinematography and editing contributes to its uniqueness and identity, but the soundscape is on another level, placing the audience in the shoes of the soldiers themselves. Even though the movie may be approximately 90 minutes on paper, the overall intensity makes it feel longer. Unlike most movies where sound design is background, Warfare uses the soundscape as a major part of the narrative. Every sound, from a flying bullet to an explosion, serves a purpose and contributes to the film’s overall realism. Ultimately, Warfare’s sound design is the most important contribution to the film’s portrayal of modern combat as an endurance test rather than a simple spectacle.
Political Viewpoints
Warfare refrains from overt political commentary despite its depiction of the Iraq War, which has led to debate among critics. The San Francisco Chronicle claims a neutral political stance, that the film neither condemns nor glorifies war but simply portrays a brutal reality. However, British Vogue raises concerns about this stance, claiming that the Iraq War itself is a political subject that causes intense controversy, hinting that broader concerns have not been explored.. Despite Garland and Mendoza’s inclusion of the two Iraqi translators that accompany the troops, as well as the Iraqi family whose house was being invaded, the Iraqi perspective is mostly missing. Inverse also agrees with this issue as well, raising questions as to how the film treats Iraqi lives. Therefore, the result is technically groundbreaking, but one-sided, and adding the Iraqi perspective would broaden the movie’s horizons and increase immersion of the overall conflict.
Conclusion
The movie ends with side-by-side photographs of the actors and the people they are playing, representing the actors’ skills and overall resemblance. The real-life resemblances have their pictures blurred out due to safety and privacy purposes, keeping up with the movie’s theme of process rather than personalities. Ray Mendoza’s memories, as well as other veterans’ experiences, were used as the research point for this film, accounting for both the main and the side characters’ perspectives and allowing the audience to see the general complexities of war through both vantage points.
Warfare is not just a story, but an experience that stays in the audience’s eyes. After watching the trailer and reading the critic reviews, I can’t wait to experience the film myself—it seems like the kind of film that will linger long after the credits roll.