Warfare is a new film from co-directors ex-U.S. Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza & acclaimed filmmaker Alex Garland. The film stars a large ensemble including D’Pharaoah Wonn-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, and Charles Melton. A platoon of American Navy SEALs on a surveillance mission gone wrong in insurgent territory. A boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare and brotherhood, told in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.

When this film was first brought to my attention earlier this year, I thought tackling the Iraq War, or at least from what I can recall. From the theatrical release poster of Cosmo Jarvis’ face in grime & dirty and seeing Alex Garland noted as a director after his his supposed retirement from directing, I knew I had to see this in the theater. Considering the mass reception of Civil War drew in mixed reviews, I did not expect this film to get the glowing reviews it did, nor did I expect it to become one of my favorite movies of the year.

It’s tough to be completely transparent in this genre nowadays. Not only do you need to tell a story that hasn’t been done before, but you have to show the consequences for all involved. While the action and intensity might excite viewers, it doesn’t hold back from how gruesome and tragic this scenario was for those involved. The truth is that this was only one event of many in a war that lasted nearly a decade. Taken from testimonies of the platoon members, co-director is utilizing those stories and Alex Garland’s involvement to tell a realistic story that is 100% true with what occurred.

Opening up on the most upbeat scene out of the whole movie, we see the comradery and relationship between these men. They are just men celebrating being with one another, which may the best way to start the film. With all the videos of this scene being compared to Alex Garland’s other film, Ex Machina, I was expecting the same song as a fun joke, but I was still pleased with the song they used. From there, we are immediately thrown into the location as a group of the same Navy SEALs break into a families house to use it for their mission before the title card appears, setting off the film’s events in real time next.

When the film kicks into its real time format, we spend a lot of time with these characters before everything hits the fan. I could see viewers maybe being turned off with either not much going on or the fact that the film doesn’t fully develop these characters. I would typically have a problem with that. Considering what I knew about Mendoza’s intentions for the film, I don’t know how else the film could do it without using its real time format. I would actually argue that the film does a great job at developing the characters over time, especially in the film’s first half where it feels like anything could happen at any moment.

I love that Mendoza casted D’Pharaoah Woon-A-Tai as himself. It’s hard to believe the 23-year-old actor can come off more more mature and older than what he really is. No one really overshadows the other though, but Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, and Charles Melton all have significant moments that help keep the film going. The film intentionally treats these soldiers as humans who are caught off guard and are only using their experiences to help get them back home.

To my surprise, I found myself quite emotional for most of the film. I haven’t been in the military, but I know what it feels like to want to be a part of something bigger than yourself. I have good friends who were in the military. I worked on a short film about a soldier coming back home. I get involved every year with a local 5k race that helps families impacted by 9/11. This means something to me. Woon-A-Tai, who plays as Ray, is the leader, but you can also see how traumatized he is from all of this. When other causalities occur, these men are making mistakes and showing fear, but it’s not without the community of their brotherhood that they are able to get out of there.

To no surprise, I heard how effective the sound design was. I didn’t get the chance to see it in IMAX due to availability in my schedule, but the theater experience was still great nonetheless. It was a surreal and visceral experience being there in real time with these guys. I am sure Mendoza used Garland’s effort to help the film be more cinematic due to their prior and trust collaboration on Civil War. Mendoza has gone on to help other Hollywood productions when it comes to gun fights. It’s insane seeing how he went through it at that time and still wanted to makes his efforts beneficial to filmmaking.

Lastly, I could and recognize the faults viewers may find with this. The Navy SEALs take over a families home as the family has to patiently wait for them to leave as their home is being torn apart. I couldn’t help but to feel bad for them. It’s not like they were doing anything wrong. Will Poulter’s character even apologizes to them. At the end, we see them reeling with the aftermath. I the film is intentionally trying to show these Navy SEALs as complex humans dealing with what they have. They are trying to do their job, but also recognize how their actions were on the given area.

Overall, Warfare is a brutal & transparent masterpiece that completely enthralls you into the situation. The performances are incredible across the board without anyone overshadowing the other. The sound design is incredibly effective. Telling this story in real time will you feel like you just experienced this event with these guys in real life.

VERDICT: 5/5 (Perfect)