鈥淲arfare鈥 doesn鈥檛 tell a conventional story about war. It plops audiences in the heat of action and lets the unknown unfold.
It鈥檚 a remarkable feat that stands with the best contemporary cinema has to offer.
Soldiers move into place in "Warfare," a fact-based look at the war in Iraq.聽
Directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza, 鈥淲arfare鈥 shows what happened in a 2006 mission in Iraq. It鈥檚 not a look at the backgrounds of the Navy Seals, just an account of their time on the ground, trying to provide surveillance before ground troops arrive.
They slip into a house, break down a barrier between apartments and begin watching al-Qaeda jihadists across the street. Soon there鈥檚 movement and, before you know it, the soldiers are surrounded, trying to defend themselves before support arrives.
Harrowing is an understatement. Even though we don鈥檛 know the personalities (we鈥檙e more likely to identify the characters by the young actors who play them), we sense the need to work together and protect one another.
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Like life, nothing works out neatly. When soldiers are wounded, others spring into action to get them out of the line of fire and, hopefully, to safety. When one asks if he鈥檚 one of the ones who鈥檚 severely injured, another tries to calm his fears: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e not even the one we鈥檙e worried about.鈥 Even though he is.
The screams, the moans, the gunfire emerge suddenly, and 鈥淲arfare鈥 becomes as embedded as a movie-goer would want to be.
Joseph Quinn and D鈥橮haraoh Woon-A-Tai star in "Warfare."
Based on Mendoza鈥檚 own experiences in Iraq, the film doesn鈥檛 try to elevate the mission, just show what happened. D鈥橮haroah Woon-A-Tai (from 鈥淩eservation Dogs鈥) plays Mendoza without the drama but all the intensity. He鈥檚 a communications officer who鈥檚 trying to connect with those who can help. While trying to calm the wounded, he impresses upon officials how serious the situation is. It鈥檚 a masterful way of serving two masters.
It's also part of the command chain that鈥檚 not breeched. When leaders can鈥檛 issue orders, others take over and the mission continues.
While the directors don鈥檛 reveal what happened to the family in the house they鈥檝e commandeered, they do show how protective the men are. They warn them about incoming danger and aren鈥檛 afraid to shift focus when the time calls for it.
Kit Connor stars in "Warfare."聽
Underneath the helmets and vests, you鈥檒l note a troop of young actors working today聽鈥 Cosmo Jarvis (from 鈥淪hogun鈥), Charlie Melton (鈥淢ay December鈥); Kit Connor (鈥淗eartstopper鈥) and Will Poulter (鈥淭he Bear鈥). They don鈥檛 dine out on those credits, but they do prove there鈥檚 more here than casting directors may have thought.
鈥淲arfare鈥 moves and, yes, moves. When the well-paced film is over its impact doesn鈥檛 leave.
