'Warfare' Movie Review: One of the Best War Films This Decade
- Details
- Last Updated: Friday, 11 April 2025 12:59
- Written by Lupe R Haas
Comparable to: Black Hawk Down
Alex Garland and former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza's WARFARE earns its place among the best war films, standing alongside BLACK HAWK DOWN. Unlike many movies that emphasize bravery or patriotism, this film feels raw and authentic. The characters' reactions are deeply human, capturing the true impact of combat in a way that sets it apart from others in the genre.
Plot Overview
Based on Ray Mendoza's combat experience during the Iraq War, the story follows a platoon of American Navy SEALs embedded for a surveillance operation in the home of an Iraqi family. When insurgents surround the home, the soldiers call in reinforcements while holding off the well-armed group.
WARFARE stars Joseph Quinn and Will Poulter, along with up-and-coming actors like Reservation Dogs' D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Shōgun's Cosmo Jarvis, Netflix darling Noah Centineo, Michael Gandolfini (Daredevil: Born Again), and Charles Melton (Riverdale).
WARFARE is an intense and honest portrayal of soldiers in combat. Most war films introduce soldiers as patriotic and full of adrenaline, shouting the battle cry, "Oorah!" There is none of that here. The young platoon first appears watching a television show featuring women exercising in leotards to the beat of techno music. It's boys being boys—no bravado. They are all young men about to go into battle.
When the mission begins, a few soldiers goof off to blow off steam. However, once they're in a dangerous situation, they become men.
The PTSD Effect
After a failed rescue, the platoon leaders are unable to lead due to the trauma from the violent incident that cost them soldiers/friends. The younger soldiers take the lead. The characters' reactions to death and their situation are honest and without pretension. These soldiers don't put on a tough-guy stance or seek revenge; rather, they take care of the wounded and remain focused on a second escape.
The battle scenes are isolated to one location. Essentially, the American soldiers are trapped in a box, surrounded by assailants with heavy gunfire. The setting alone causes panic, and the intensity of the shootouts and explosions also gives the viewer anxiety.
Past war films show the horrors of combat and how the atrocities of seeing your brethren mowed down affect the soldier, but WARFARE does one thing other movies have not—it makes the audience go through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). After the film, you're exhausted from the traumatic events. If you didn't know what PTSD feels like, you will after this movie.
Coolest Movie Scene
WARFARE is a character-driven war film with your run-of-the-mill firefights, but one scene stands out as the coolest military maneuver never seen on the big screen. The team calls in a "show of force" to distract the enemy. A Super Hornet flies by at low altitude between homes and kicks up dirt to distract the insurgents. It's one of the best scenes shot on film—or maybe it's CGI. Upon further research, it's a common Navy maneuver used during the Iraq and Afghanistan missions.
Authentic Performances
The young cast members are all standouts. D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai portrays director/writer Mendoza in an impressionable role that should propel the actor into bigger roles. Cosmo Jarvis, who plays Mendoza's real-life buddy Elliott, also leaves an impression.
The insurgents are faceless, which serves the story, considering the focus is not political but rather the POV of the human experience from one perspective. The story is based on Mendoza and his platoon's experience, so they can't speak to the other side. It's merited in this case.
While first-time feature filmmaker Ray Mendoza is credited as a co-director alongside veteran director Alex Garland, Garland credits Mendoza with taking charge of this film. That is why this true story feels less Hollywood and downplays patriotism in exchange for an honest and human portrayal.
WARFARE is now in movie theaters.
RUN TIME: 95 minutes
Rated R for intense war violence, bloody/grisly images, and language throughout.
