What is it Good For?

Warfare is a harrowing ninety-five minute peak into, well, warfare. Writer and co-director Ray Mendoza is a former Navy SEAL who now works as a Hollywood military advisor. During their work together on last year's "Civil War", he and Alex Garland (who also directs here) came up with the idea of showing audiences an ultra real slice of modern war without any of the movie trappings that make such scenes more digestible to viewers. This is that film and it's as uncomfortable as you would expect.

The events depicted took place in 2006 when Mendoza's unit came under attack while occupying two apartments in Ramadi, Iraq. We open with the soldiers watching the music video to Eric Prydz's "Call On Me" (the only music in the film) before we see them break into a family home and commandeer it to provide support for a group of Marines in the area. After that we are pretty much in real time as hostile locals gather and launch an attack. 

Everything we see and hear is based on memory, every line of dialogue is something the soldiers remember being said and all the events are shown exactly as recalled. |n that regard we are watching a memory of war rather than a documentary style dispassionate view. We still get expressionist flourishes such as the deadening of sound after an explosion and images of innocuous parts of the home that stuck in the memory. What we don't get are any of the musical or visual cues that normally accompany this type of action.  Someone standing in front of a door talking about how everything will work out means it's about to kick off right? No, instead a grenade might just pop through a window at any time. When someone becomes horrifically injured we are conditioned to wait for an end to his suffering, for him to die, pass out or be healed. Instead, his agonised screams become background noise for the rest of the film. This approach means the tension does not subside for a second, making for an impactful and stressful watch. What really puts it over the edge are the incredibly naturalistic performances. A very recognisable cast, including the likes of Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn and Kit Conner, completely disappear into their roles and it really is like watching real people under pressure. These aren't the no nonsense killing machines of your jingoistic Hollywood movies. There is bravery on display for sure, but there is also fear, panic and struggles to keep it together. Everyone reacts differently and everyone is trying to survive. When things are this grim, even for the side with an overwhelming arms advantage, it's hard to believe human beings are still doing this to each other in the 21st century.

Searing and stomach churning spectacle that it is, the film has its limitations. It is certainly no fluff piece, with their disregard for families who's home they have taken over and use of their local Iraqi helpers as glorified human shields, there is no attempt to make the US forces look like the good guys. However, the nature of the film means we only get one point of view and there is no discussion given to the wider events. Whether that lack of context affects its worth or impact is a matter of opinion and will vary from person to person. What is definitely jarring  is the ending. We finish with behind the scenes footage of the movie being made and a message from Mendoza thanking his SEAL team. It makes sense he would want to pay tribute but the tone is jovial and diminishes the impact of what would have been perfect final scenes that came just before. Separating the montage from the body of the film, either by making it a mid credits roll or playing over the credits, would have done wonders. 

It could be argued that we don't need another American view of conflict in Iraq but you've never seen one like this. As a feat of film making and a window into the nightmare that is armed conflict, Warfare is peerless. Be prepared for something you endure, not enjoy.

8 sledgehammered walls out of 10.