War is hell: 'Warfare' proves it
Film brings the truth about battlefields starkly to the silver screen
"Warfare," directed by Ray Mendoza ("U.S. Military") and Alex Garland ("Civil War"), follows U.S. Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza and a group of American soldiers as they make their escape from Iraq following a botched surveillance mission.
The movie stars Will Poulter ("We're The Millers"), Jospeh Quinn ("Stranger Things"), Kit Conner ("Heartstopper"), Cosmo Jarvis ("Shogun") and Micheal Gandolfini ("Daredevil: Born Again") as the soldiers in question.
Being that this film is based of Mendoza's wartime experiences, it's incredibly intense and not for the faint of heart. It doesn't give a whole lot of backstory on why the soldiers are there, which is telling because the details were what each soldier was given in reality.
This leads to extreme tension: The characters and audience members are in the same headspace of uncertainty and panic, making the movie not only entertaining but also capable of inducing white-knuckled stress.
I loved all the acting in the movie, especially Joseph Quinn, who steps out of his typical cool teen roles and brings a solid performance as a anxious soldier that just wants to go home.
The characters are fleshed out enough to get you to care about them; however, it's worth noting that the characters aren't the focus of the movie. Rather, it's the events that happen in the film that keep you entertained and engaged. What you are seeing is based on true events; it's war through the eyes of a soldier.
Speaking of which, Garland and Mendoza do a fantastic job depicting a war-torn Iraq and the desperate attempt of escape it. Every action scene is intense, and every scene is important to the movie.
I also have to give credit to how much they packed into a film that's only 90 minutes -- the typical runtime of a movie, but not usually a war film.
"Warfare" is quick, electrifying and eye-opening for those who are curious what happens when our soldiers go overseas to fight. This film is very patriotic in all the right ways and does a fantastic job of respecting the work our soldiers do for us, as well as the dire consequences that war has on our world.
The only negative I have about "Warfare" is that the lack of context. But that's also the point, so I can't fault it for being accurate.
If you are a fan of war movies and history, this is an excellent film for this weekend. It's is up there with the likes of "Saving Private Ryan" and is a strong contender for the award season next year. I'd give "Warfare" a solid 9/10.
Carter Salley is Central Michigan Life's resident film critic and co-host of the pop-culture podcast "Raving Geeks." A rising senior, he is majoring in media arts.
