In Warfare, the Fog of War Is Both a Literal and Spiritual Fact

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Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s film Warfare is a valiant effort to challenge the common belief that there are no anti-war movies. Most war films, regardless of how graphic or emotional, tend to glorify combat in some way, even unintentionally. The concept goes beyond this, though: Many war films have been brutally realistic and far from glamorous, but the very act of storytelling forges an immediate bond with the on-screen soldiers. To strip the appeal of cinematic combat, one might need to rethink character development or even the essence of storytelling itself.

In essence, the movie titled “Warfare” offers a harrowing 95-minute portrayal of a single brutal battle during the Iraq War, where a team of Navy SEALs are trapped inside a two-story house in Ramadi. The film features recognizable faces like Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Charles Melton, and Kit Connor, but character development is scant, making it challenging to distinguish one from another even at the end credits. The most identifiable human emotion portrayed in the film is fear, which is demonstrated by at least one character. Another seems to lose consciousness, possibly due to exhaustion or shock, while assisting an injured colleague. Most of the dialogue consists of technical instructions and urgent messages exchanged over radios, or the chilling screams of soldiers who are mortally wounded. Their injuries are graphic, their cries heart-wrenching. Limbs are scattered throughout. The distributor, A24, insists that this harrowing experience should be seen in IMAX.

Mendoza, who was once a Navy SEAL, personally experienced the events shown in the photo (he’s portrayed in the movie by D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai from “Reservation Dogs”). Garland, the director, prefers to show realistic and sometimes dreamlike representations of intense, even bizarre scenarios. Consequently, the filmmakers successfully create an authentic feel in their portrayal of war, encompassing both intense battles and the tense, drawn-out periods of waiting between such conflicts. The unclear setting and purpose for these men being in this area seem deliberate, mirroring symbolically moments where the screen is filled with smoke and dust from grenades and explosions, while sounds either disappear completely or are reduced to distant gunfire and heavy breathing echoes. In “Warfare”, the fog of war is both physically present and spiritually relevant.

In their subtle yet impactful approach, Garland and Mendoza subtly infuse moments of deeper significance, especially in their brief portrayal of the families who unknowingly host the soldiers. These individuals appear sparingly, and at times it seems as if the narrative forgets about them altogether, only to later reveal their presence symbolically representing Iraqis caught unwillingly in a conflict they had no part in. On the other hand, the insurgents attacking the American troops remain faceless throughout most of the film, with only rare instances providing a glimpse – such as the startling, significant scene towards the end which I won’t disclose. It’s worth noting that discussing spoilers in a film about war’s horrors may seem inappropriate, but the directors have deliberately kept the other side of the conflict shrouded for good reason.

Last year, Garland stirred up controversy with the film “Civil War,” which portrayed a troupe of war journalists traversing a torn and devastated eastern United States following a civil conflict. This movie drew criticism from some for not explicitly expressing a political viewpoint on its fictional strife. However, it’s politics were more about experience than ideology. By depicting the U.S. as a far-off battlefield similar to what we often see in reports from other countries, the film challenged us to think about how we consume and commodify conflict. Although “Warfare” is based on a recent event, it could pair well with its cinematic precursor. In both instances, Garland aims to immerse viewers in the raw truth of a situation – one speculative, one from the past – and encourage us to empathize with others’ hardships.

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2025-04-11 16:54