Warfare Review

Warfare should come with a trigger-warning before screenings that says “viewers may experience
feelings of shell shock whilst watching”. For those of us fortunate enough to never experience what it’s like to be on the frontlines of a war zone, Alex Garland and co-writer/director Ray Mendoza’s harrowing Warfare might be the closest one can get to it living it. If you thought Garland’s previous film Civil War hit too-close-to-home, then prepare to be even more rattled by the immersion of Warfare.

Mendoza himself is a veteran of the Iraq war and Warfare is a retelling of a mission that went traumatically awry for him and his platoon of Navy Seals. As the film begins, a title card reads “this film uses only their memories” – we are intimately invited into his recollection of the events that went down on November 19th 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq.

In what might be the films only use of music (both diegetic and non-diegetic), the film opens on a laptop screen where the iconic spandex-laden music video for Eric Prydz’ Call On Me plays for the eager squad. The tantalisingly sweaty visuals and head-bopping beat prove too irresistible to the boys as they all begin to revel in the pulsating euphoric sound together. What seems like an odd moment of levity is actually a cleverly symbolic opening shot that speaks to the unique approach Garland and Mendoza have taken to make this war film.

Even with a stacked cast of rising male talent that includes Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton and Kit Connor, there is no singular protagonist in Warfare, not even Ray himself – played by D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. These Navy Seals are so tight knit, bonded by brotherhood that that they move as a singular organism – both in work and play. Whether it ’s bouncing to an infectious song shoulder to shoulder, or when the terrorising violence strikes later, the story unfolds not through the POV of a protagonist – but as a collective. Even though this is Mendoza’s story it doesn’t just belong to him – it belongs to his brothers in arms too.

Often war films have a tendency to glamorise the experiences of soldiers through the lens of heroism or patriotism but Garland and Mendoza have no intention to glorify the situation the boys find themselves in. After their whereabouts is made known on hostile territory the soldiers must evacuate to seek medical assistance for their head sniper Elliot – played by Cosmo Jarvis. But when an explosion goes off during their exit strategy injuring even more of the team, the boys find themselves in a deadly ambush surrounded from all sides. In the aftermath of the explosion, the horror feels all the more tangible due to the squirm-inducing blood-soaked prosthetic makeup. This is not entertainment, this is hell and we the audience get to sit in it alongside the soldiers for 90 minutes.

As mentioned apart from the opening sequence, there is noticeable lack of music throughout this
film. A smart choice. When realism is your desired goal you don’t need music to manipulate the
viewer. You’ve heard of in-your-face visuals but the sound design in Warfare is so in-you-ears that
it feels like a bombardment of the senses. At times it’s so effective, it’s enough to make you want
to retreat.

Warfare is one of the most visceral cinematic experiences of 2025 and is therefore a hard film to
recommend to others. It’s not an fun or easy watch but it is undoubtedly an impactful one which
will stay with you after you’ve left the cinema.

★★★★

In UK Cinemas from 18th April 2025 | Will Poulter, Joseph Quinn, Cosmo Jarvis, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Kit Connor, Noah Centineo, Charles Melton | Dir. Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland | A24 | 15