The Real-time Chaos and Urgency of ‘Warfare’

Warfare, co-directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, captures intense realism and is driven by a deeply personal connection to the experiences of former U.S. Navy SEAL turned co-director, Ray Mendoza. Coming from a sci-fi background and off the back of Civil War, Alex Garland brings his finesse to this visceral depiction of modern urban warfare. A real team effort, Warfare features a solid young cast led by the likes of Will Poulter, Noah Centineo, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Cosmo Jarvis. Designed to be experienced with the best picture and sound, the film opens in theatres 11 April 2025.

A core element of Warfare is its emphasis on depicting events in near real-time, aiming to provide a gritty and immersive combat experience. Much like 1917, both films aim for realism, use a sense of immediacy and long takes to create a sense of continuous action. While 1917 got to grips with a mission during a time of trench warfare, Garland and Mendoza’s film captures the chaos and in-your-face nature of close quarters urban warfare.

Warfare entrenches itself in modern urban warfare, drawing directly from Mendoza’s deeply personal experiences from the Iraq War, which serve as a foundation to this authentic and emotional story. Taking this slant, it mines the complexities of modern urban combat in Iraq, making a contemporary exploration of the psychological and tactical challenges faced by soldiers.

Films like The Hurt Locker and American Sniper take on this emotional and psychological dimension but in Warfare the ensemble war drama is a team effort of shared experiences. While Mendoza brings his powerful firsthand experience and a degree of on-the-ground authenticity, it’s Alex Garland (Civil War) who translates this into immersive and thought-provoking cinema.

Driven by an authentic and contemporary representation, Warfare makes a significant and insightful contribution to the war film genre, offering a raw and visceral portrayal of modern combat. Guided by the personal experiences of its co-director and masterfully adapted by a visionary co-director in Alex Garland, it has a deep level of respect for the veterans who lived through the events that are portrayed on screen.