Warfare is a Hard-Hitting, Brutally Real War Film

Warfare

★ ★ ★ ★

Warfare is an intense film and does its damndest to immerse you in the impossible situation its soldiers find themselves in. The script is written from pieced-together memories of a real-life SEAL team. As such, it’s a hard-hitting, brutal true story.

There is no cinematic score. Just hyper-realistic sound design that pulls you right in, grabs you by the throat and hangs on until the credits roll. The piercing gunshots, explosions that lead to sound-simulated ruptured eardrums and hauntingly painful moans of wounded soldiers are incredibly authentic.

You will feel this movie.

Will Poulter as Erik
© 2025 A24

There isn’t much in the way of plot, nor is there significant character development. There isn’t a lead character either. As a movie, it shouldn’t work. But boy, does it deliver.

In 2006, Navy SEALs forcibly occupied an apartment in Ramadi, Iraq. They’re trapped by Al Qaeda insurgents intent on killing all American soldiers in the area. The characters are created from the memories of the actual soldiers, as are the details of the events that unfold in the film.

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai and Will Poulter
© 2025 A24

There isn’t a standout lead nor is there a bad performance. The SEALs are made up of Ray Mendoza (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elliott Miller (Cosmo Jarvis), Erik (Will Poulter), Sam (Joseph Quinn), Tommy (Kit Connor), Kelly (Aaron Mackenzie), John (Finn Bennett), Frank (Taylor John Smith), Brock (Evan Holtzman), Mo (Joe Macaulay), Pete (Laurie Duncan), Ted (Jake Lampert), Bob (Aaron Deakins), Aaron (Henrique Zaga) and Brian (Noah Centineo).

With the exception of Mendoza and Miller, all characters in the film are aliases of the real soldiers. Directors Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Civil War) and Ray Mendoza (one of the actual SEALs) masterfully put us in the building with the SEALs as they fend off attacks and desperately await what will be multiple rescue attempts. One attempt leaves a soldier dead and others seriously wounded.

D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Adain Bradley and Michael Gandolfini
© 2025 A24

A movie that relies on events rather than story arc is hard to pull off. Warfare does this with incredible attention to detail and meticulous acting. The sound and visual effects are so effective, they become a part of the supporting cast and lend to the realism this story demands.

This is easily one of the best war movies in recent years.