150 Word Review: 'Warfare' (2025)
Cry havoc
The most popular subgenres of American war movie are ‘Kill All Nazis!’ and ‘Vietnam Was Hell!’ But films about the ‘War on Terror' tend to reflect a widespread attitude about the conflicts: Americans regularly, ritualistically, thank soldiers for their sacrifices, but prefer not to dwell on everything else.
Co-directors and writers Alex Garland and former vet Ray Mendoza defy war movie clichés with dazzling filmmaking in their terrifying ensemble action drama, Warfare, while avoiding questions like "What were we fighting for?" Besides survival. This is an intimate look at a platoon of US Navy Seals pinned down inside a modest house in Ramadi, Iraq. There are no steel-nerved sarges or naive newbies, nor is there any pulse-pounding action. The violence is sudden and shocking.
We never see the enemy, but we feel their rage. Warfare works best as a collection of Mendoza's memories. Small details. Brothers. Laughter. Smoke. Blood. Screaming.