Warfare Movie Review

Warfare (2025)

Watch the trailer
Written by: Ray Mendoza & Alex Garland
Directed by: Alex Garland, Ray Mendoza
Starring:  D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Noah Centineo, Michael Gandolfini
Rated: R

Plot
A platoon of Navy SEALs embark on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.

Verdict
This captures the focus and chaos of war. We don't know why the detail takes the house or what they're trying to find, I'm not sure they do. We watch them surveil the area, waiting for something to happen and seemingly accomplishing nothing. When they're attacked the intensity skyrockets and never relents. They're pinned down with nowhere to go. While the only context we get is the location, no one is better off at the end of the movie; not the soldiers nor the civilians in the city. There's such a simplicity to this movie, with most of it occurring in just one house, but it's also violent and intense. This feels much shorter than the runtime. While it's well made, it's not something I'm going to want to watch again. It's a difficult watch that shows the stark realities of war.
It depends.

Review
Based on Mendoza's experiences in Iraq, the film's material is exclusively taken from the testimonies of the platoon members.

This provides no context. So much of this movie subverts what is typically seen in a war movie. We don't know the overriding objective and there is no general or captain explaining the importance of the mission. Most movies depict a battle that is integral to winning the war. This doesn't fit that mold. This SEAL team is deployed in Iraq, apparently on a surveillance mission. In the middle of the night they choose a strategic location and begin a surveillance operation, breaking into an occupied home with the family living in the home relegated to a bedroom as hostages. We're not even told anyone in this town is an enemy. We see soldiers storm an occupied home, and later the town attacks the soldiers in that home.

Will Poulter plays Erik

At first the soldiers continually assess the surroundings looking for suspicious activity, determining if military aged men are merely "peeking" at the location or actively "probing" to determine who is inside. At this point the team still thinks they're concealed. They make notes and radio information to base. As more military aged men begin to gather, the team becomes concerned.

They're attacked, and that's when this movie kicks off. The situation goes from tense to bad. A tank is called in for the injured, but a bomb forces the tank to leave without making a pickup. The team has been exposed, they have no support, and they don't know what's happening outside. It's claustrophobic as the soldiers peek out the windows while being careful not to expose themselves to potential gunfire. They're forced to wait for another pickup.

The sound design is great, and the movie uses silence well. There's no soundtrack, only ambient sound.

Joseph Quinn plays Sam

The team needs support and an evacuation, having to hold their position until help arrives. They're pinned in and under fire. There's the question of what's going to happen, will they get help and will they survive long enough.

When this ended, I thought it was just the midpoint. That's how quick this movie feels. This mission doesn't fit into an overarching plan. We never leave this location, with the movie living in this moment. We see the focus of following the mission orders and then the chaos of trying to survive after contact. The final scene is the soldiers rolling out as the dust settles, a town in ruin. No one is better off at the end, not the soldiers nor the inhabitants of the town. While it's well made, it's difficult to watch the death and destruction.