By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
If there was ever a movie that could cause PTSD just from watching it, this would be that movie. “Warfare” is based on actual memory of a particular battle that occurred in Iraq in 2006, so what you witness is exactly what occurred according to the participants’ experiences. Stripped of a narrative, this reenactment tosses viewers into that war, making them experience the unnerving terror of combat firsthand.
Set in November 2006, during the final stages of the Battle of Ramadi in Iraq, a platoon of Navy SEALs is sent in on a surveillance mission in enemy territory. Led by Erik (Will Poulter), the platoon commandeers a multistory dwelling with a good vantage point to observe the insurgents. Their location quickly becomes compromised with enemies attacking and injuring Elliott (Cosmo Jarvis).
Even though the injury appears minor, Erik calls in armored support to transport the wounded soldier safely back to base. As they move to get Elliott aboard the armored transport, a catastrophic IED detonates, causing even more severe injury to both Elliott and Sam (Joseph Quinn) and forcing the platoon to stay in the house until more help arrives. As enemies close in and fire on their position from all directions, they must maintain a defensive perimeter while tending to the grievously wounded with no guarantees they’ll all be able to get out of this alive.
The sudden explosion of that IED is one of the most shocking, bone rattling moments audiences may ever witness on the big screen, more so than any jump scare in a horror film. Alex Garland, who wowed audiences with modern warfare realism in last year’s “Civil War” (which should have been nominated for Best Picture), does it again here, bringing movie audiences closer to the action than ever before. He shares the writer and director chair with Ray Mendoza, who was a U.S. Navy SEAL himself and was in the very battle depicted in “Warfare.” Having one of the filmmakers recounting firsthand knowledge of this horrific battle only enhances the movie’s credibility. Coupled with Garland’s impressive experience, especially with action sequences, these directors give audiences a front row seat to the horrors of war.
The visual style from these directors is something to behold. Aggressively invasive cinematography that literally has the audience staring down the barrel of a gun, grisly images of stomach-churning wounds, and accompanied by a cacophony of breath stealing sound effects paint the most realistic war setting ever shown in film. The two filmmakers purposefully keep the recounting of events devoid of a storyline with character development so as not to distract from the film’s primary objective. They don’t even accompany the scenes with any kind of musical score. While this doesn’t allow for a deeper emotional connection to the soldiers like audiences experienced in “Black Hawk Down” or “Saving Private Ryan,” this stripped-down approach gives the movie a more authentic, actual footage type of vibe. One of Ray Mendoza’s main objectives with this film is to simply provide his brother in arms, Elliott, with a detailed accounting for what happened to him since the trauma he experienced left him with no memory of that fateful day.
From top to bottom, the cast does a fantastic job of authentically portraying these U.S. soldiers. Sure, they don’t have to worry about showing depth to their characters or even a wide range of emotions, but they succeed in believability, naturally incorporating the correct lingo and movements in their performances. While Will Poulter (“Death of a Unicorn”) and Joseph Quinn (“Stranger Things”) take center stage as the more well-known celebrities, Cosmo Jarvis, best known for his starring role in TV’s “Shogun,” is a scene stealer with a commanding screen presence. D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (“Reservation Dogs”) also provides a notable performance, portraying none other than the co-director Ray Mendoza. The most important accomplishment of this cast is the onscreen chemistry, conveying a sense of brotherhood, evidenced by the matching tattoos they all got with the words “Call on Me.”
If you have the opportunity to view this film in an IMAX theater, do it, and prepare yourself for a shell-shocking filmgoing experience the likes of which you may have never experienced before. The explosive sounds and visuals will have you checking yourself for shrapnel. “Warfare” wastes no time getting to the action, and once the gas pedal is hit, the unrelenting, heart-pounding tension will keep your pulse racing for the entire runtime of one hour and 35 minutes. As a word of caution, if you are at all faint of heart or squeamish, then you may want to sit this one out.
This movie earns:
