Movie Man Darian Watching All Night Long

Warefare 

This is one of the most impactful War films I have seen since Dunkirk! Now Alex Garland once again delivers another harrowing film with zero sugar coating as last year he gave us an amazing look on how War photography is tackled through the landscape of a divided time politically and here he shows how horrifying war is but without showing an ounce of glorification. Warfare has one of the best assembled actors brought together for this type of film I have seen in sometime you have the likes of Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Conners, Joseph Quinn and all of them give terrific work as well and show the unifying bond of brotherhood and how they all have to lean on one another to stay alive in a terrifying situation. Warfare will shake and rattle you to your very core. 

Firstly, Alex Garland has brought a film to the screen that just makes you on edge the entire way through! Now he gave one of the most politically charged films of the decade with Civil War last year and the messages he discusses in that film I give him massive credit for as many filmmakers would not even dare to step foot near some of the imagery he chose for that film in such a divided time we are in at the moment. Now he has never tackled War before well at least not in the traditional sense Annihilation is more science fiction but this is through and through a War film and he does not do fluff or soft peddling subject matter in his films. He is able to show the horror’s of the violence of War without glorying or exploiting it. Now their is one scene it basically is the opening of seeing the whole group of guys huddled around a computer watching and bonding while listening and seeing the music video for Call on Me and that scene is not meant to be out of place comedy but instead a presentation on how these men either try to let loose in a very tense time or trying to see light in a very dim line of work. We also see the sheer love these men have for one another in that one scene within itself but the film also shows that constantly through the course of the story we see how these men rely on each other to keep each other alive and how would that impact someone their is a deeply unspoken link to that person you will have forever tied to you that is impossible to explain with words. As if they aren’t there for the other person they can be dead within minutes and the film explores that as well of the sense of unity. Alex Garland has very little character building in the film some may have a big issue in that as their isn’t many characters for the audience to latch onto and see get fully fleshed out in terms of character work but due to the situation that the film is thrusting the audience in I saw it as a different take within the genre that Nolan did when tackling Dunkirk in 2017. Due to it taking place during a war time setting their is not any time for exchanging of stories and growth at least when at work so why should this film treat it any differently if anything isn’t it being incredibly accurate to how Soldiers or men of war are in their day to day. There are long stretches of tense silences cut to intense periods of traumatizing violence they are put into. The film I think is the most well written war film I have seen in this decade for sure as Alex Garland is not trying to just make another run of the mill War film that some may just think is war propaganda which it does not feel in the slightest but instead make a film with the subject of war and told through the memories of the men that were their that day. Having the film be told through the memories of the men that were in the house that day is unlike anything I have seen at least in a war level film as most films are yes heavily dramatized and tries to show as close to the real thing as possible that is why Saving Private Ryan is the gold standard of War films but what Warefare does is craft a film with heavy involvement of the military men that are portrayed in this film. It brings a different type of authenticity that just feels raw and unsettling and Alex Garland and everyone involved was able to capture that anxiety inducing feeling so well through the cinematography and the truly amazing sound design and editing. The way the film is also taken at just a single location I think was very compelling for the story as the film stays with these men and how they go about their day to day in operations doin a job like this the camera feels like a person observing each single thing that is being done. If it is staying on watch or some guy switching out of sniper duty to stretch his legs and muscles as he is so sore from looking through a barrel all day those things matter and make it feel as truthful to the subject matter as possible. Alex Garland and each creative involved did a great job at brining this film to life that will deeply impact war veterans I feel and also spark conversations on how these men are bonded for life through this shared traumatic moment they went through together brought to the screen with great care and they did not hold back they show the truth of what went down that day which only makes for a more deeply impactful and lasting image that speaks volumes. 

Secondly, The performances from the whole cast are amazing! Now the most notable performance for me was Joseph Quinn and Will Poulter Now talking about Joseph Quinn First when we see him he is very quiet to be fair that is all the men we see in the film but he does not say much due to the extremely delicate situation that is what he is doing. You can see in his eyes just how serious he observes each and every thing in his viewpoint. We see Joseph go through something later on that is horrific and traumatizing on his body and you can hear every scream that is Almsot bloodcurdling in the way he conveys his pain to the audience. I have not seen Joseph Quinn give such an emotionally charged performance to this degree before like this and he is amazing in the film delivering an astonishing performance that I hope does not go unnoticed. Then you have Will Poulter who plays the leader of the group and is constantly thinking tactically of what is the best move for everyone involved but when things go south and their is an amounting amount of pressure riding on him he gives responsibility duties for someone else to take over as he himself has had to bear witness to some horrible things happening to his friends that day that has him shaken up that he cannot think straight. Poulter brings a commanding presence needed for a part like this he has had a great year in terms of performance from Death of a unicorn and now Warfare he excels greatly in this part delving more into the serious parts of his heart to reveal a commanding officer that is war torn with the thing he has seen that day. All the actors involved all gave terrific performances but the one thing I will say about discussing the film when it comes to performance is it is very hard to discuss because their isn’t room for character growth and the sheer way they went in terms of story also does not explore many of the actors to have moments to give us backstory or depth. It is more of them working as a unity to stay alive as that results in a way more realistic execution but we don’t really get to know them individually. Overall the whole cast does great with what moments they get to shine with in terms of their respected Roels. 

Lastly, Warfare is one of the most brutally honest takes on military combat I have seen in a very long time! Alex Garland has shaped a film that will have you shaken up from what you just witnessed but at the same time have a full scope idea of what it was like for those men that day. As the film is not trying to be stylistic or cool in it’s approach it is trying to put the viewer in the middle of the action and show the horror’s of what went down that day which I think the whole team did they brought justice to the men that perished and or has suffered lifelong injuries but are able to live to tell those stories due to the sheer heroism they showcased that day. Warfare Is not action packed but a slow burn meditation on the day to day of how these men went about their duties until everything went terribly wrong and shown on a scale that has you unable to look away. Warfare will stay with you long after it is over. I recommend everyone check out this film I think it will do so many great things for War veterans who have suffered in silence but also for those who have been wanting to communicate to friends or loved ones the unshakable bond they have with their soldiers due to these type of life altering experiences that they went through that changed them in so many ways. 

This film tackles Navy Seals and what should of been a routine operation goes terribly wrong and how they go about getting out of the space their currently occupied in 

Rated R : Intense War Violence|Bloody/Grisly Images|Language Throughout

Alex Garland : Garland gives an amazing followup to Civil War with another truly astonishing film with Warfare! Now one thing I have yet to mention is how this film is also co directed by one of the Navy Seals that is portrayed in the picture! Ray Mendoza who has done mostly consultant work when it comes to films finally gets the credit he deserves with his work on this. As when many films are based on someone’s story they keep them as a consultant but that is about it I have never seen a war film have the director give co screen credit to a war veteran and also want him so heavily involved in the creative process as possible. I have so much respect for Alex Garland for doing that as he knows sure he is a visionary with the written word and camera but this film is about the horror’s of war and Ray knows about it in ways no director will know unless you yourself are a war veteran aka like Oliver Stone but it is rare to find that. It made the film so much more raw in terms of how the action was portrayed the way the camera would move around the house and just the basic interaction between the NAVY seals it just has a different feel to it that most war films have missing from it. Giving Ray the room to be able to tell his story the way it was meant to be told with no pullback creatively from the studio or the people around him I thought was very classy and also heavily contributed to why this film is as good as it is. Alex Garland is not looking for some film that will get people to see the visual appeal in War first off their is no appeal to it from any glorifying stand point he is out to tell the truth of these men and I cannot stress enough but having the film be built around their memories narratively is so damn cool as way into telling a war film. As some people have issues with how some people may be portrayed but you have to remember this film is exclusively told through the people with first hand recounting of who was their that day and build a visual around their stories. The film at times feels exhausting as it does not give you a break as there are long stretches of silences where you could hear a pin drop from the sheer stillness of the moment. Having the camera follow the inside of the sniper or seeing Joseph Quinn scoping the location from a window all of those small things really add up to showing how these men felt on that day. It also presents the violence in a way that is downright horrifying and has you wanting to look away from how realistic the blood and trauma on their bodies are captured. Alex Garland wanted to do right by the men that showed their bravery that day in a moment where most men would of just not been abled to deal with the impossible terrifying pressure of those decisions and also give War veterans a voice that can start a dialogue of opening up about their trauma. Alex Garland puts all the flashy stuff away and just makes this film In the most honest depiction he knows how of the events that went down that day and I think he did a tremendous job and kept the audience engaged to the very end and may even end up shedding a tear or two due to the way it is presented. Alex Garland once again gives another terrific film that is among one of his best works yet.