Warfare
Directed by Ray Mendoza, Alex Garland
- war
- action
The story
A platoon of Navy SEALs embarks on a dangerous mission in Ramadi, Iraq, with the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event.
What it’s like
Handheld, close-quarters camerawork in washed-out desert light: dust-coloured daylight, sun-bleached concrete, and interiors lit by flat fluorescents and the orange glow of a house in a Ramadi street. The palette is muted khaki and grey with almost no grading, and the sound design does most of the work: sharp gunfire, ringing ears, radio chatter cut against long stretches of ambient hum and a restless, low-register score that barely resolves. Pacing is relentless and real-time in feel, with the tension built from waiting as much as from firing. Violence is frequent, graphic and sudden, including injuries shown in close detail and a sustained, unflinching depiction of combat; it lands as physically harrowing rather than stylised, with heavy dread and stress throughout. The emotional register is grim and claustrophobic, with the brotherhood and fear of young men under fire rendered in clipped, exhausted intimacy. Not suited to anyone wanting something gentle or escapist. It fits viewers who want an immersive, unvarnished war film, and those drawn to ensemble military dramas that privilege texture and fatigue over heroics.
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