Any A24 movie is worthy of a watch, even if it falls outside the realm of a genre I would typically enjoy. Just this year, Eddington, a very modern take on the Western, really impressed, and months back, Warfare dialed up the intensity for a fresh take on the war genre. Now, Ray Mendoza’s haunting recounting of a SEALs mission in 2019 comes to physical media. Many people will watch this for the hunky eye candy not exactly knowing what they are in for—there’s Kit Connor (Heartstopper, Rocketman), Joseph Quinn (Stranger Things, The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Charles Melton (Riverdale, May December), Will Poulter (Death of a Unicorn, The Bear), and Noah Centineo (To All The Boys I Loved Before, Black Adam), just to name a few. Anticipate having a difficult time with this compelling watch if grisly imagery in a war context is triggering. Disturbing and ferociously intense, Warfare leaves a bloody mark on the soul during its chilling recounting of a true life event.
Forgoing the typical structure and setup of a war movie, Warfare begins with arguably one of the greatest, most sexually charged music videos of all time. “Call On Me” by Eric Prydz in all its early 2000s disco-fueled glory blares on a small screen. The camera reveals the viewers of this video as a full crew of young Navy SEALs, getting their kicks off on the mesmerizing high-intensity visuals for perhaps the final time in their short lives. By film’s end, more than a few of these men will have met their tragic ends, and others still will be brutally wounded as an unfortunate casualty of war. There have been plenty of wartime movies that aim to capture the events as realistically as possible, yet Warfare hits an entirely different target in its authenticity. Much of this plays out exactly as recounted from memories, and in virtually complete realtime.
In the commentary from Ray Mendoza, co-director Alex Garland, and military consultant Brian Philpot, they mention that two other titles considered were Conflict and Realtime. While either of them would have fit, the negative connotation to the name Warfare really fits what the creative team was attempting here. The horrifying realities of battle between two different parties are so ugly, and are often completely unnecessary to have occurred at all. The film makes no overt judgements, but simply keeps the a scenario as close to its truth as humanly possible. It nakedly shows bodies blown apart, and a leg so damaged from an explosion that it looks to belong to a shark attack victim. The graphic nature of the damage done to these men has a raw quality to it that sticks with the viewer long after the credits roll. Given the extensive research it took to bring this to life, coupled with the footage from the end and actual photos of the real men involved, there can be no shaking its powerful iconography.
From a pure moviemaking standpoint, every layer of Warfare has been expertly crafted in its attention to detail. Another tidbit from the commentary provided some insight on the acting process—these men almost functioned as if doing a theater performance. All needed to be involved in the ongoing action utilizing many long takes. As in real life, every person has an assigned duty, and must execute it flawlessly in the context of the mission at hand. Due to the ensemble nature, the connection between these men is essential. Ray and Alex praise Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, and Charles Melton quite extensively.
The “Making Of” Featurette gets into the cast’s bond to an even greater extent. There was a two-week boot camp to get them into the headspace of a warzone. They even all got matching tattoos! Will Poulter describes the process as being more akin to shooting found footage rather than a standard war drama. Picking a standout performance feels difficult given the realism; the shift that happens once team leader Jake arrives, played by Charles Melton, makes a particularly powerful argument. The screams of pain from Joseph Quinn insist that his Sam steals the show. Kit Connor’s newcomer Tommy makes a perfect audience window into the action. One thing is for sure: if Warfare does not win every sound-adjacent award at the next Academy Awards ceremony, then what are we even doing here?
By its very nature, this will be divisive. Viewing it as some sort of war propaganda though would be actively dismissing the catharsis of the filmmakers in retelling their own stories. Extended takes shift the authenticity to another level as the pacing creates an energy of constant tension. Warfare truly got under my skin in a completely unexpected way. This goes beyond being based on truth and somehow graduates to a guerrilla style. Quietly becoming one of the best movies of the year, Warfare‘s brand of realistic horrors are an expertly-filmed feel-bad cinematic feast.
Get into position for Warfare, now on Blu-Ray from A24 Films.
