'Warfare' Review
Image Source: TVInsider
I first discovered this movie when I saw an online review of it. I didn’t know anything about it before that, but I was immediately interested. For my birthday, I was surprised by my dad, who lives on the other side of the country, flying in to watch it with me on the big screen with surround sound.
Which, let me tell you, is the only way to watch it.
The story is about a platoon of Navy SEALS and their Iraqi translators during the Battle of Ramadi during the Iraq War in 2006. The squad is initially in the area to support a Marine operation in the area. The tension slowly builds as more and more fighting-aged men appear in their sights, culminating in a grenade being thrown into the room where the group’s sniper is keeping watch. Things go worse from there, to put it very lightly.
RELATED:
Image Source: BBC
This movie was interesting to watch, since one of the directors was a veteran of the battle, so he had a vested interest in making it as accurate as possible, not only to accurately portray his own experiences, but to honor the people wounded and killed during the operation. That makes the film unique, since there’s no “Hollywoodization” of it. I looked at characters and how they acted, and my instincts said “oh, this person will go through this character arc” or “this character is going to die, isn’t he?” only to be wrong because, well, that’s not what happened in real life. If a soldier wasn’t killed in the battle, his character wasn’t going to die in the movie, which made the whole thing feel authentic. The brutality is taken from the memories of Ray Mendoza, one of the directors and a character in the film.
The film as a whole is very bare bones. The platoon is trapped inside a building surrounded by hostile forces, and they have to hold out until rescue arrives. I hesitate to call this an action movie, because while there is shooting and explosions, there aren’t any gunfights with enemies that you can see. In a typical action film, we’d see our heroes shooting dozens of enemies who are trying to assault their position out in the open with no cover, but here we don’t get that. Instead, the enemy is more represented by explosions rocketing around and bullet holes punching through the walls. There’s never a feeling that the soldiers are safe, because, well… they’re not. At any second, they could be overrun and slaughtered. There’s not a moment where there isn’t that underlying tension, and it’s masterfully done. It’s enhanced both by the film’s Oscar-worthy sound design and the fact that there’s no score in the film.
Image Source: IGN
The filmmakers also did an amazing job with casting. When you watch the film, you do believe that this is a group of guys who have been fighting together for years, and their brotherly bond does come across effortlessly onscreen. The performances are flawless across the bord. You feel the characters’ tension, injuries, fear, and determination.
Overall, this is definitely one to watch, especially on the big screen. With the surround sound, you feel every bullet impact or explosion, and you can get immersed in the brutality of the situation. There’s nothing Hollywood about this, which means that you can never tell where the film is going next. Check this one out. It’s one of the best war movies I’ve ever seen.
Rating: 10/10
READ NEXT
Latest News
Featured
