Warfare Movie Review

Released April 11, 2025

Warfare is a war film based on director Ray Mendoza's experiences during the Iraq War as a U.S. Navy SEAL. The film is about an encounter on 19 November 2006 after the Battle of Ramadi.The script is drawn from the testimonies of the platoon members and is presented in real time as realistically as any war film could be. This movie was also going to be co-directed by Alex Garland, who might be most well known now for his film Civil War, which I personally was a huge fan of. But Garland stepped back and decided to only be a writer for the film.

This movie, like I stated in the intro, is truly one of if not the most accurate and realistic United States military films you will ever see. It uses accurate military lingo more then normal speak, and is presented in complete real time. Aside from the intro which was just to show the team bonding over a music video, the entire battle sequence is treated like a real battle. Shootouts with long pauses in between to strategise and build tension, while really never knowing when the next gunshot will ever be fired. Even the inciting grenade comes out of nowhere.

The cast of this film includes D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as the "lead", alongside Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, and Charles Melton. The performances are all incredible and build an incredible amount of realism. The stories and behind the scenes that I have seen showed them training with real soldiers, including the actual veterans of the real event, to make sure their speech and movements were real. Training them like real soldiers so that even improvisation and in the moment decisions wouldn't break any immersion.

It truly is a beautiful film to watch. Despite nearly the entire film taking place inside of a two story building, the editing is smooth and crisp. The cinematography isn't overly special, but it is never a film that is difficult or hard to look at. It is a film that truly goes for the realism over style, which is perfect for such a story and scenario. And it really does help with the tension and almost fear of the movie. The scenes that do take place outside only add more unease, almost feeling even more claustrophobic. Like when the platoon attempts to sneak out to a tank, a rocket comes out of nowhere and there is a truly beautiful explosion of sparks and smoke and dust. The next few moments are inside a cloud of dark smoke that looks haunting and terrifying, with great sound design mixed in to add to the emotions of what the soldiers are feeling. Even the gunfire is muffled, so you don't know where they're coming from or if they're hitting. Another element of horror.

Like I said, you never ever know when bullets are going to fly. You never know when chaos could erupt. Death and violence could come any second.

As someone whose favorite things about movies are the music and the cinematography, this really shouldn't be a movie that I love as much as I do. The music is nonexistent. There is no score, only talking and the tense sounds of weaponry and violence. There are good looking shots sparsely throughout, including one I love a lot where it shows the platoon crowded together in various different directions and huddled together in a small room preparing their plan to leave. This is where we see the first real look at just how bloody and gory this movie is going to be.

It DOES NOT hold back at the horrors of what war and injuries and death look like. We literally see a mangled mess of a body. A torso blown apart with organs all over the place and the horrific, frozen face of wide open eyes staring with no emotion. Brutal injuries that incapacitate a solider, with his reaction so honest and real that it just adds to the horror. Shock that takes a while to settle in. He doesn't scream for a while as his pain is setting in slowly, staring at mangled bloody legs that are literally on fire, only for him to just repeat "Oh my god" over and over again. Not even really screaming it. Just softly as the realization sets in more and more. This is not a movie for people who are squeamish or can't handle blood. A movie not for the faint of heart.

My favorite part of this movie is the sound design, especially after the explosion. Again, the muffled gunfire adds a haunting element that makes it impossible for figure out where gunfire is coming from or where it is going. The soldiers are disoriented, just trying to stay alive the best that they can with their senses overwhelmed and emotions running high. Even when the injured soldier does finally scream, it is drowned out for a few seconds.

Then, the brutal snap back to reality.

The soldier is brought inside, screaming for his life. Piercing, horrified screams of agony that drown out everything. Suddenly louder than you would expect and creating a pretty great jump scare. Even when we go back outside for at least some reprieve from the screams, it's about a soldier staring at a dead comrade. Not hearing the gunfire coming towards him for a few moments until he snaps back into fight mode, trying to drag the corpse back inside.

This film shows trauma and how PTSD settles in. The soldiers are literally crying and full of fear. Compared to most other movies that show them as hardened, sometimes emotionless badasses, this is kind of the opposite. These are people. Real people. Seeing their closest friends and brothers dying in front of them. Experiencing pure fear and pain that is inescapable. The screams of a man dying being the soundtrack of the next few minutes just adds to it. Even when the soldiers speak over the radios, they are breaking. They struggle to speak and hold back tears. These men are becoming broken from this battle, and we watch it all happen in real time. The corruption of their minds and innocence that were already a bit gone due to the fact that they're in the military.

I am someone who tends to enjoy violent, dark, brutal movies. The likes of Come And See, Grave of The Fireflies, and shows like The Boys are some of my favorite media in the world. And yet this movie was truly something else. Something that is unlike anything you will ever see.

It makes you watch people suffer. It makes you watch as people are being broken and killed. You feel uncomfortable. You feel like you shouldn't be watching this at points. This is a movie that truly does feel like it wants you to know the horrors of war and how it effects people for the rest of their lives. Gruesome injuries that we see upclose. Minds being broken by trauma and death. Emotions running high yet still trying to stay calm and do their job.

As much as I wish to recommend this movie to everyone, I know that it isn't a movie FOR everyone. It is not for the faint of heart in any capacity. You will be confronted and challenged by this movie. You will be made uncomfortable and possibly even afraid. It's less of a war movie and more of a psychological horror film.

Overall Rating: 10/10