Warfare (2025)

★★★★ Co-directed by Alex Garland and war veteran Ray Mendoza, "Warfare" tells the story of the latter's real life experiences in Iraq by disturbingly recreating the true horrors of modern day combat.

Watch May 3, 2025 0 2 Add to Reading List

Dir: Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland

Cast: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Noah Centineo, Michael Gandolfini

Co-directed by Alex Garland and war veteran Ray Mendoza, “Warfare” tells the story of the latter’s real life experiences in Iraq by disturbingly recreating the true horrors of modern day combat

While he may have drawn criticism for leaving out political ideologies in his divisive dystopian thriller “Civil War”, writer-director Alex Garland still managed to horrify cinema goers, with his disturbingly real and brutal depiction of a hypothetical modern-day civil war on American soil. Throughout his prolific career as an author, screenwriter and filmmaker, Garland has continuously tested audiences by producing emotionally and intellectually challenging works, these range from the nihilistic apocalyptic works he penned for Oscar-winning director Danny Boyle (“28 Days Later“ and “Sunshine“), to the cosmic horror nightmares he directed himself (“Annihilation” and “Men”). Whether audiences like his work or not, there is no doubting that as either a writer, or director, Alex Garland finds new ways of getting under the audience’s skin, whether that be through psychological manipulation, or by sheer terror.

Garland’s latest work may be his most narratively stripped back to date, as the London-born filmmaker teams up with Iraq war veteran Ray Mendoza to recreate, with disturbing levels of accuracy, Mendoza’s real-life experiences serving in the Middle East. While “Civil War” was marketed apolitical, many found that the lack of a political backdrop only served to prevent audiences from taking sides, while its actual political agenda sparked debate despite its apparent absence. Having been a military advisor on “Civil War”, Mendoza’s increased input from the director’s chair has resulted in the pair producing an anti-war film with much more sincerity, so much so that not even the most sinical critic could begin to question its clear apolitical themes.

“Warfare” Movie Trailer | A24

Similarly to “Civil War”, “Warfare” keeps its audience in the dark by the time the titular warfare is under way, as we find our platoon of young American soldiers bunkering down in a two-storey house in the Iraqi city of Ramadi. The details of the mission itself are never disclosed, reflecting how many soldiers who have found themself in active warfare most likely will not know their objective themselves, only being tasked with following orders from their direct superior. The officer in charge of this particular Navy SEAL mission, platoon Alpha One leader Erik (Will Poulter), instructs his men to monitor a nearby neighbourhood market for any suspicious activity, without fully disclosing as to what they should be on the lookout for. Members of Erik’s platoon include snipers Elliott (Cosmo Jarvis) and Frank (Taylor John Smith), Petty Officer Sam (Joseph Quinn), airborne support officers McDonald (Michael Gandolfini) and Laerrus (Adain Bradley), gunner Tommy (Kit Connor) and communications officer, the aforementioned co-director Ray Mendoza (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai).

Both Ray and Elliott become aware of an increase in activity, and when a grenade is thrown into building, an armoured vehicle is called by the team to medically evacuate an injured Elliott. However, during the medevac, a nearby IED explodes, killing one of the platoon’s translators and leaving Elliott and Sam seriously wounded, forcing the platoon to retreat back to the house to reorganise. Having been cornered by Iraqi militants, the platoon’s endeavours play out in real time as they attempt to relay their position to the nearby Alpha Two team, led by assistant officer in Charge, Jake (Charles Melton), to help fend off enemy fire until evacuation can be achieved.

While it may be his simplest film narratively, “Warfare” may very well be Alex Garland’s most challenging watch to date. It may not pose the thought-provoking, psychological questions one would associate with Garland’s work, but this immersive and discombobulating depiction of war will not only drain you mentally, but physically as well. Since its release in the US a couple weeks ago, many viewers and critics have compared the film’s intensity to the unforgettable open scenes of Steven Spielberg‘s “Saving Private Ryan”, in which Tom Hanks‘ Battalion find themselves running into German gunfire on Omaha Beach. As much as I see how both films have broke new ground in depicting the horrors of war, I do find “Warfare” to be a lot more realistic and upsetting in its portrayal of war. The film’s ambiguity enables you to associate the pain and suffering, that is graphically shown, with any conflict that has taken place over the course of human history. It may take place in 2006 Iraq, but Garland and Mendoza’s decision to not shy away from the horrors of war reminds us how terrible all global conflict is, regardless of who is involved and how needless its purpose.

With the exception of a pre-warfare, cold open showing the more jubilant soldiers singing and dancing to the Eric Prydz song “Call on Me”, “Warfare” is devoid of any musical score, which not only allows the sensational sound design to painstakingly detail every explosion, gunshot and lengthy gut-wrenching scream to full effect, but also prevents you from being emotionally manipulated into choosing sides. This is not a film about good versus evil, which is often the case with most western war films, it is about the tragedy of war and why it should be avoided at all costs. The inspirational musical crescendos and patriotic imagery often associated with war films are not to be seen here, and purely from a filmmaking standpoint, you are not likely to see anything more impactful in 2025. It by no means is for the faint of heart, as the mentally scarring imagery of blood, sand and smoke still continues to burn through my retinas several days after having experienced it, a true testament to Garland’s craft and Mendoza’s storytelling.

The cast of young up-and-coming talent comprises of several familiar faces from the world of movie and television, most of whom we will not doubt be seeing more of in the next few years. The level of promise the ensemble shows here, and in their other works, will have people looking back at “Warfare” in years to come, recognising how exceptional the cast is, much like how the cast of Ridley Scott‘s “Black Hawk Down” went onto do bigger and brighter things.

Verdict:

As much as I found myself immersed in this brutal and haunting re-enactment of warfare, more so than I have ever felt before, the sheer horror and mental trauma I faced as a result has left me questioning if I could ever sit through it again. While it may prove to be too much for many viewers, I recommend that everyone do their best to seek this one out whilst it is still cinemas, as the remarkable craft from Garland, Mendoza and their technical reminds us that we must do our best to prevent conflict at all costs.

Warfare is now showing in UK Cinemas.