Warfare (2025) Dir: Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland

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Directed by former soldier Ray Mendoza and the acclaimed Alex Garland, this A24 and MGM produced war film was high on my 2025 watchlist. It was based on the memories of those involved in a real life skirmish during the Iraq War in 2006. War films inevitably contain some level of bias, and, without getting too political, the Iraq War was a mess, so I was a little nervous about how it would be portrayed. With that said, reviews have been overwhelmingly positive so far, so I felt pretty optimistic.

I would be remiss if I started this review with anything but the sound design, because it was epic. I would be shocked if this didn't get some serious awards recognition for it. It was genuinely breathtaking in quality. The sound felt vital, it felt enthralling, and it felt incredibly all-encompassing. Very few films have been able to get the balance and range of sound, especially in the war genre, as on point as this film did. Every sound was very intense, and some of them were even quite haunting in nature.

Another exceptional feature of this film was its camerawork. The handheld shots make the audience feel like they're in the action, part of the group of men in that building, part of the chaos. It makes the danger feel incredibly real and incredibly close at hand. As such, this was one of the single most intense cinema experiences of my life, and one of the most intense films I've ever seen. Once the action started, I felt like I held my breath for a good hour.

I am not, typically speaking, a fan of war films, at least in terms of how they tend to portray war as a topic. All too often I find that they romanticise killing and violence, and make it into some macho testosterone fest of death. This film did not do that. On the contrary, it made the violence within it seem horrific and traumatic for those involved. It felt real, it felt chaotic, it felt shocking, it felt incredibly bleak, and even a little scary. There was certainly no glory or romance in the violence that was depicted.

If I was to point out any issues in the film, it would be that it was a little bit one-note, but that was, considering the context and material, inevitable. The opening thirty minutes are very slow and ponderous, but not in a bad way - I mention this only because those with a shorter attention span will definitely struggle. Additionally, there isn't a whole lot of character development, however, I can acknowledge that the nature of the film didn't exactly lend itself to that, nor did it especially need it because of the way it unfolded. The story worked within its own context, and the main arc was clear and simple: survive. I thought it was executed superbly, for the most part.

I could honestly credit the whole cast for their performances, because everyone was believable and brilliant in their own way. If I were to single out anyone in particular, it would be Kit Connor, Joseph Quinn, and Michael Gandolfini - they were the cream of the crop, so-to-speak. With that said, there were also great performances from the likes of D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, and Charles Melton.

Overall, from a purely filmmaking perspective, this was a very, very, good film, and one of the most realistic-feeling modern war films I've seen since 'Black Hawk Down'. To call the Iraq War a divisive and emotionally-charged conflict would be a huge understatement, and this film is not immune to its bias point of view, however, I think it did a lot better than some other films at attempting to focus on the horrors of modern war, as opposed to any potential political agendas. As I said above, from a purely cinematic perspective, it succeeded greatly in its purpose.