2025   A24

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  35min

Action ~ Drama ~ War ~ True Story

Directed by:  Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland

Starring:  D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Kit Connor, Finn Bennett, Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, Noah Centineo, and Michael Gandolfini.

EVERYTHING IS BASED ON MEMORY………

SYNOPSIS FROM THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE:

Written and directed by Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland (Civil War, 28 Days Later), Warfare embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family, overseeing the movement of US forces through insurgent territory. A visceral, boots-on-the-ground story of modern warfare, told like never before: in real time and based on the memory of the people who lived it.

THE REVIEW:

I was looking for a movie to watch when I saw this on Prime. I am not big on War Movies but did a quick google search and saw it had pretty good ratings, so I thought I’d give it a go. I have watched Saving Private Ryan and liked it, the first twenty minutes is pure hell to watch. I can’t imagine what our soldiers go through when they fight for our freedoms. I saw Warfare was by A24 as well, I love their movies. And Alex Garland directed this as well as Civil War, another newer War movie which I liked as well. I’ve seen it three times so far.

 So anyway I decided to give it a watch. As it starts a Navy Seal platoon is taking sniper positions in support of a US Marines operation. Walking down a main dirt street in Ramadi, Iraq November 19th, 2006 on foot in the quiet of the night. They decide they are going to set up a surveillance outpost inside one of the homes on the street. They quietly break-in and clear all the rooms and put the family that lives there in the main bedroom with an interpreter. They proceed to the upstairs and are greeted with a block wall. The interpreter asks the family why it is there and they tell him that it is another apartment. Another family lives in the upstairs.

The Navy Seals produce a sledge hammer from one of their backpacks and proceed to knock the wall down and escort the upstairs family down to the bedroom with the first family. The Seals set up a surveillance perimeter in the upstairs apartment, busting a hole in the exterior block wall for the sniper scope on a Seal’s Gun. They monitor activity from every direction through all the windows and with the high tech surveillance and satellite monitor they have with them. In constant communication with high command and other platoons on the ground, they become aware that their presence is known and their location has been compromised.

All hell breaks loose as they are fired upon with guns and grenades. And it is pure drama, action and warfare in every direction as they attempt to survive and leave the city of Ramadi. It is a very tense 95 minutes. It is not your typical war movie, it is as if you have been placed right there in the house with the platoon of Navy Seals. It is more like an immersive experience into being a Navy Seal deep in enemy territory on their own turf, fighting for every square inch. It is eye opening, I couldn’t believe the experience of being there with them and what they were going through. I also was very impressed by the brotherhood, camaraderie, and professionalism of the platoon in the face of mortal danger from every direction.

I was also impressed by how much gear these guys carry and I did a quick google search. Navy Seals can carry anywhere from 43 to 100 pounds of gear with them. Unbelievable, these are some tough guys, ready to go. It is a violent, intense, terrifying close up look at what war looks and feels like through the eyes of the Navy Seals Platoon. Ray Mendoza was part of the platoon that day and set out to make this movie for his Navy Seal Brother Elliot who lost a leg in the ordeal. He does not remember much of the mission nor how he lost his leg. Ray thought that he should make a movie based upon all the Platoon’s memories of that day, so that Elliot could see how it all happened.

I liked it but I’m not sure if you will. If you like war movies or have an interest in the Iraq Wars or the Navy Seals…..you should watch it. It is a good one, well done. I felt like I was right there in that room with them. Like I said, it was definitely eye-opening and I have an even greater respect for the Navy Seals and what they do for us now. So it’s worth watching for that.