Alex Garland’s built a career out of blowing audiences’ minds while making them squirm in their seats. His previous hot potato, “Civil Wars,” sent chills throughout this fractious, broken nation since its thesis seems horribly plausible, maybe even inevitable.
“Warfare” is a different beast, even though it, too, cattle-prods you out of your comfort zone and jackhammers every raw nerve in your body. It’s also lean (just over 90 minutes), efficient, focused and is an outright technical masterpiece, from the sound effects to the incredible editing to the arid, surreal cinematography that makes you want to choke at times. Garland teams up with first-time director Ray Mendoza to adapt a story drawn from Mendoza’s own harrowing tour-of-duty in the Iraq War as part of the Navy’s SEAL Team 5. Specifically, “Warfare” is inspired by Mendoza’s mission in 2006 Ramadi, Iraq. And after seeing what he encountered it’s a wonder that Mendoza and many in his troop escaped with their lives. Not all did.
“Warfare” gains cred and authenticity from Mendoza sharing directorial and writerly duties, and his influence better informs the film. It results in one of the most visceral takes on what it’s like to come under unrelenting enemy fire than many combat films, except “Saving Private Ryan.” Whereas that Steven Spielberg war piece did permit you to come up for air occasionally, “Warfare” does not. It’s a singular, focused experience about an American troop setting up a surveillance operation in a family’s apartment where what begins as a monotonous and mundane operation turns into bloody chaos as these young men (all played well) come under heavy gunfire and attack.
“Warfare” does wring you out, but what’s ingenious about it is that it is not a mindless rah-rah, gung-ho war movie, but a sobering look at what truly happens in battle, and the valor and courage of those in uniform as well as the loss of limbs and life incurred. The cast is huge and while it’s hard to single anyone out, the actors that sear into your subconscious are D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as the wide-eyed but reasoned Mendoza, Cosmo Jarvis as lead sniper Elliot Miller (his is a grueling physical performance) and Will Poulter as the rattled, shell-shocked lead officer Erik. Kit Connor, Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton lend strong support. But the real stars here remain on the technical side, in particular those sound effects geniuses who pierce your ears as if you were in battle. Even the opening scene is inspired and unexpected, almost making you feel like you wandered into the wrong theater. It’s also one bit of rowdy, testosterone levity, a bonding moment that comes before the storm arrives to spin you around and spit you out.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com
‘WARFARE’
3½ stars out of 4
Rating: R (violent, graphic war scenes)
Starring: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett
Director: Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland
Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
When & where: Now playing in Bay Area theaters
.Details: 3½ stars out of 4; opens in theaters April 11.