WARFARE

A harrowing true-life tale based on the testimonies of US soldiers who battled their way through the horrific Battle of Ramadi on Nov. 19, 2006, WARFARE is a highly intense and bloody yet very patriotic tale of heroism. The movie was co-directed and co-written by actual Ramadi soldier Ray Mendoza and cult-favorite filmmaker Alex Garland (CIVIL WAR, EX MACHINA) and continues Hollywood’s welcome and long-overdue shift away from “woke” filmmaking to deliver a movie that is riveting for traditional-minded Americans.

The movie opens with a large group of U.S. soldiers as they rowdily cheer while watching a highly sensual “exercise” video featuring a group of models in skimpy swimsuits, which is jarringly different than the entire rest of the movie and unnecessary. Perhaps the filmmakers were trying to show the soldiers having a happy moment before 90 minutes of terror. At any rate, the scene quickly shifts to the dead of night on the streets of the Iraqi city of Ramadi, where the soldiers are sneaking through the streets in search of a building where they can conduct surveillance.

They pick one two-story building in a residential area, quietly breaking in but knocking a hole in one wall so that snipers can easily train their sights on any unusual people or activity outside. The next morning, the streets outside are bustling. For about 30 minutes, WARFARE settles into low-key tension as the snipers constantly have to figure out why a series of individual Iraqi men keep entering a doorway that the American forces can’t see inside.

This first act becomes rather tedious. The soldiers wait and watch while speaking mostly in military jargon with their home base and with drone operators who are providing them an aerial view of the streets. However, just before it reaches maximum bored annoyance, the outside civilians suddenly clear out and a hand grenade is thrown by Iraqi Muslims through a window in the troops’ building.

Thus begins a non-stop final hour of shooting, explosions and the agony and heroism involved in US soldiers being graphically wounded or killed. As a counterpoint, the movie also shows the daring lengths that their compatriots went to save as many as possible. When a Bradley tank that was sent into the streets to evacuate the wounded is bombed by a massive IED bomb, the movie uses masterful sound design that could very likely score an Oscar as it gives viewers the distorted hearing experienced by the soldiers, sliding between deafening silence and agonized screams.

How do the troops manage to escape their terrible situation?

WARFARE offers outstanding depictions of the horrors of battle but never provides any in-depth characterizations of its soldiers. This is an ensemble piece where viewers are left only hearing a bunch of names but otherwise find the soldiers indistinguishable. Also, most of the dialogue is war jargon that the soldiers use to communicate strictly military tactical information. So, there are no classic heartfelt character revelations or heroic speeches at any point.

WARFARE is all about grit and the sheer desire to survive and make sure no solider is left behind. The lack of character depth means that viewers feel no emotional engagement beyond wanting the troops to survive. So, the battle isn’t loads of fun to watch since it’s mostly an assault against the troops, but WARFARE is patriotic and has its inspiring moments. MOVIEGUIDE® advises excessive.