Warning: this article contains spoilers and discussion of war, violence, and gore.
Warfare isn’t just a movie— it’s an immersive experience for not just the audience, but also for the actors. The film follows a platoon of American Navy SEALs who are stationed in Iraq. As we see a sense of brotherhood, history, and leadership, simultaneously we see their mission go wrong and how the soldiers had to react, all in real time. The film, directed by Ray Mendoza, a former Navy SEAL who served in Iraq, and Alex Garland, Oscar-nominated screenwriter, is solely based on the lives and memories of those who were involved in this conflict in 2006. Due to this, everything is fast-paced, realistic, and overall captivating. When I was watching, I felt anxious, sad, and petrified all at the same time, and here’s why:
The film begins with a happy moment of the platoon watching the music video for “Call on Me” by Eric Prydz, all in high spirits, singing and dancing with each other, almost as if they were hyping themselves up, preparing themselves for what was to come. This was a true tradition that Mendoza participated in with his platoon, which really put into perspective how true to life this movie was. From there, we follow one half of the platoon as they seek shelter in an Iraqi family’s home in order to scope their enemies’ bases in secret. This part in the film is almost eerie. It’s so quiet as we see the SEALs one by one, each stationed in different parts of the house, doing their job. There were some scanning the area for movement through an electronic device, another on comms, communicating with their superiors regarding where they were located, and others who were snipers, following their target’s every movement. This part of the film was the calm before the storm.
The snipers not being able to get a sufficient angle and obtain the shot had everyone in limbo. Then, the film’s pacing accelerates, and it all begins to feel real; the story picks up fast. Erik, played by British actor Will Poulter, who leads the platoon, commands each SEAL to prepare for different things as they find themselves surrounded by men in neighboring buildings and on rooftops. This is when you actually see warfare, real close combat, gore, and really just the sad side of war— death. While trying to retreat into a caravan, they were hit with a bomb, forcing them to retreat back into the house and wait for the rest of their platoon to come help and send more caravans. We see soldiers obliterated into pieces, the intestines of SEALs spilling from their bodies, and characters who, in brief parts of the film we grew fond of, in excruciating pain.
One of the snipers, Elliot, played by Cosmo Jarvis, had his legs completely torn to shreds, and had one of his arms loosely hanging from his body. The other seriously injured individual was Sam, played by Joseph Quinn, who’s right leg was severely sliced open and broken. Quinn’s and Jarvis’ performances really made me get into the film; their screams were guttural and painful, going on for minutes. It made you feel like you were there. In real time, we see the other half of the platoon arrive to help and witness what it would be like to wait in an excruciatingly painful and frightening situation for help. I really enjoyed how if one of the SEALs said the caravan was five minutes out, it was literally five minutes of waiting for the audience, just as it was for the actors, and for the real men who were in the platoon. In this final stretch of the movie, I was crying, fidgeting in discomfort, and having a million thoughts run through my mind. It was an extremely difficult watch in the best way possible.
If watching the film made me tremble, I can’t imagine how people who actually lived through it on both sides would feel. It was definitely a film I’d recommend just to see an ounce of an accurate and painful depiction of war. There are no upsides to something like that. I had read reviews before the film was released, many of which denounced it as “American war propaganda,” but I didn’t really get that while watching it. I did appreciate how honest the film was, which I think is because it was told from the memories and perspectives of those involved, no matter how rough it was. For example, the film doesn’t shy away from showing that American Navy SEALs took over innocent civilians’ homes, had them blown up and destroyed, left people bleeding, and used their couches as cushions to support the snipers’ bodies, all to just leave them behind. That was despicable in my opinion, but they showed that that was what really happened. My admiration for Warfare’s raw and transparent depiction of the Iraq War goes beyond its unique approach to filmmaking, as the people who were in the situation were directly involved in filming, writing, directing, and working with the actors one-on-one. The final thing I do want to debunk or disagree with is the idea that this film only cast popular actors in Hollywood, and the “they always cast the same people” narrative. While I do agree that this is very prevalent in the film industry today, this film’s casting was nothing short of superb. At the end of the film, they showed the actors compared to the real Navy SEALs they portrayed, and I was honestly shocked by the accuracy. The perspective, real-time action, and candid portrayals in this film are why I’d recommend it.