Only three minutes into “Warfare,” there is a feeling that what you’re about to witness will stick with you for a long time. From Director Alex Garland and Veteran Ray Mendoza comes the most realistic and haunting war film I’ve personally ever watched. To say that it’s visceral is one of the biggest understatements I can type out.
“Warfare” loads up, cocks and doesn’t take its finger off the trigger, especially after the first twenty minutes. The images, screams, moans and actions will stick with audiences. But doesn’t every war film have that effect? In short, no. There are many reasons why this film is so different and how that makes it highly effective on the audience.
“Warfare” (2025) Review: New To Rent At Home
Nothing But the Truth
Ray Mendoza, who co-wrote the film, was part of the SEAL Team on which the film is based. That means everything you see in this movie is true, based on exactly what happened in Iraq during the Battle of Ramadi. Mendoza pulls from his memory bank and those of the other team members who survived to tell their harrowing and haunting story of what happened that day. I say that day, however this film clocks in at an hour and 35 minutes long and the events are told through this movie in real time. From the opening scene until the credits roll, it is the exact same amount of time that these events happened. This is absolutely fascinating and exquisite work from Garland in the Director’s chair.
The movie is easily the most accurate depiction of modern war that I’ve ever seen on the screen. The action, the setup, the visuals, all of it. Of course, this is largely because these SEAL Team members tell us exactly what happened that day. Imagine being Ray Mendoza and getting to tell your story, your brother’s story, all without a movie studio going in and screwing with it as they see fit for Hollywood. With this film, however, A24 is continuing to climb the charts as one of the best movie studios in the business today and how they handle this movie shows you why.
Emotionally Exhausting & Accurate
The actors were pulled in last-minute, so to speak. At first, Mendoza and Garland wanted to take real military members and use them to tell the story. However, with such a short filming time and the technical difficulty for some of these scenes from an acting standpoint, they decided to interview actors quickly for the roles. It was most likely the right decision, because had they not done that, I’m not entirely sure the emotional aspect of the film would’ve come through in the same way. There are some intensely emotional scenes here, as you would imagine. Although they have the lived experience, I’m not so sure real-life military members could have delivered what we received from a performance standpoint and that was a huge part of what made the film so effective.
Only two names remained the same in this film; the rest were changed to protect the identities of the real SEAL Team members, mostly because a lot of them still serve our country. Ray Mendoza and Elliott Miller are the only two names that remained true; Miller is portrayed by Cosmo Jarvis, while Mendoza is portrayed by D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai. However, the real Mendoza was still closely involved as the Writer/Director. Some other recognizable names in the cast list include Joseph Quinn, Michael Gandolfini, Will Poulter, Kit Connor, Charles Melton and Finn Bennet, each of whom delivers incredible depictions of the SEAL Team members.
Alex Garland & Ray Mendoza Deliver
From a technical standpoint, you know you are in for a treat with Alex Garland. It’s visually astounding, the sound effects will make you feel like you’ve been trapped there with the SEAL Team and the camera work feels as authentic as humanly possible. The movie transports you from an audience member to iterally feeling like you’re stuck in the suck with these guys. It’s terrifying and incredible all the same. It’ll put your anxiety through the roof and have you on the edge of your seat throughout. The movie gives us another reason to be thankful for the military folks who are out there willingly doing this for our freedom. It’s brutally unapologetic and can take your breath away in seconds.
“Warfare” is not for the faint of heart but it’s an incredible true story. From a technical standpoint, it’s brilliant work! We are five months into 2025 and currently, this is the best film I’ve watched so far this year. I’m absolutely gutted that I didn’t experience this in IMAX because I bet it was even better, but I am grateful to be able to rent it at home and experience the powerful emotions of “Warfare.”
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