Warfare

Directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland, Warfare follows several soldiers, including Will Poulter’s Erik and Joseph Quinn’s Sam, as they find themselves under attack during the Iraq War’s Battle of Ramadi. Filmmakers Mendoza and Garland, armed with their own screenplay, deliver a gritty, down-and-dirty war picture that does, from time to time, pack a decidedly visceral punch, and it’s clear, certainly, that the seemingly authentic atmosphere is heightened by the real-time structure and general lack of emphasis on character development. (The viewer is essentially just dropped right into this 95 minute happening with little in the way of context or exposition.) And while the hyper-realistic vibe results in a handful of compelling sequences and set-pieces, including sudden, brutal instances of violence, Warfare generally suffers from an arms-length feel that prevents the viewer from wholeheartedly connecting with the soldiers’ exploits and, even worse, ensures that certain stretches come off as padded-out and interminable – which ultimately cements the movie’s place as a well-intentioned misfire that probably would’ve benefited from a more traditional execution.

** out of ****