Don Reviews "Warfare"

Hollywood has made films that give moviegoers a wide range of emotions while watching a film, especially in the genre of war films like Saving Private Ryan.  When it was released, there were stories on how veterans from WWII were emotionally struck by its realism and in some cases brought back tough memories.  With one of the directors of Civil War, there was definitely potential with Warfare.

Alex Garland co-directs with first-time feature director Ray Mendoza with a cast that features Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, D’Pharaoh Won-A-Tai, Aaron Mackenzie, and Michael Gandolfini here.  Based on the actual events of a platoon of Navy Seals, it follows (in real-time) a mission and battle that takes place during the Iraq war in November 2006 during the Battle of Ramadi.

I will put this review simply: I LOVED THIS FILM!  I cannot think of anything wrong with it except that it had to end.  The entire cast has great chemistry, showing to be true brothers in arms when it all goes down.  I would have a hard time trying to decide who would be the lead would be, but I have to give a shout out to the performance of Jarvis, who truly hit a grand slam on his performance.  Even though Warfare was shot in London, the set decoration really sells the area the film takes place in, even though most of it takes place in one home.  This makes the area it is in that much more important to sell the story, and this does that well.

This film may go through the events of one simple mission, but I loved how it did the whole thing as it happened, enhanced by the surveillance feeds from the equipment in the sky in order to see what these soldiers went through while also seeing it from the perspective of those supporting them.  There was some great work by having the “slow” moments turn crazy in the blink of an eye as well, which is their reality.  There are no punches pulled here, so be prepared for some serious sequences of violence on every level (I even cringed more than once), and that is a compliment as well.  It also helps that some of the guys these men are based on were involved in the making this film, and I could definitely tell.

I even have to recognize the sound mixing and editing here, which is GENIUS!  I was lucky enough to screen this film in IMAX and was blown away (pun intended) by the sound used in that format; it gives the true sounds of war, even from the men’s point of view when big explosions hit and things go silent followed by the ringing that would be in their ears and then right back into the action.  I will give a little tease that a couple times in Warfare, there a military maneuver called “show of force”: when it happens, hold on.  This truly MUST be seen in some form of premium audio and visual format to experience it the way it should be.

This film is so good that I believe that Gulf War veterans who watch this film could have memories stirred up for them from their time in that region, andit doesn’t draw things out with its solid runtime.   I really ran the gambit of emotions and was on the edge of my seat the entire time, much like most of the audience I was in this screening with.  All of that being said, this of course gets my “coveted” full price in the theaters recommendation, and upgrade to the premium format if possible.  Right now, this is my favorite move of 2025 and can safely say that Warfare gets my very coveted “Bomb City promise” of making my Top Ten Best Film list at the end of the year.