Warfare Review: A Unique Specimen of a Combat Procedure

      The initial visuals of Warfare trace back to the ’80s-inspired aerobics music video for Eric Prydz's "Call On Me," released in 2004—a catchy dance track that, despite its obnoxiousness, resonated alongside Madonna's final standout song, "Hung Up," in terms of sound and imagery. The fleeting era of Top 40 music reminiscent of Daft Punk likely serves as a reference point for many millennials reflecting on "The Bush Era," an eight-year period largely characterized by displays of American imperial arrogance set against the backdrop of the most extravagant pop culture. A notable culmination of this period is Green Day's extended music video for "Wake Me Up When September Ends," which served as a short film depicting Jamie Bell, a young Midwesterner, enlisting for service in Iraq.

      The essence of this video (featuring a British character dropped into Fallujah with a muddled American accent) closely mirrors the theme explored in Warfare. A title card indicates that the film is based on "memories," but this collaboration between Iraq War veteran and occasional military consultant Ray Mendoza and genre specialist Alex Garland is quite unique. Utilizing the "memory" concept, the film doesn't evoke a dreamy haze but turns into an overly conceptual (if not particularly engaging) procedural—despite sporadic appearances of poorly rendered CGI fighter jets injecting some surrealism into the supposed realism.

      Featuring a cast of recognizable actors in their late 20s and early 30s (with notable performances by Joseph Quinn and Charles Melton), Warfare centers around a platoon occupying a building, surrounded by foes, and attempting to escape. The film's pacing revolves around soldiers waiting, the tossing of a grenade, the aftermath, drone POV shots, combat scenes, planning, and more waiting. Despite the abundance of gunfire, cries of agony, and graphic injuries, Garland and Mendoza present combat in a remarkably uneventful manner. This approach makes the film's 98-minute runtime feel prolonged, and it risks alienating both the red-state audience A24 seeks to connect with and the young urban fans who flock to every new release in branded attire.

      A comparable reference point is Black Hawk Down, which seemed significant at its release for dedicating substantial runtime to battle scenes, yet Warfare highlights how bloated that film felt by comparison. While Ridley Scott’s war movie extended an hour longer (with time at the start for Josh Hartnett’s emotional expressions to convey the soldiers' integrity), Warfare intentionally strips away any sense of connection to the lives of men engaged in their duties.

      The timing of Warfare's release may be unfortunate, and a closing shot (prior to a Taste of Cherry-style breaking of the fourth wall) attempting to acknowledge the opposing perspective feels somewhat clumsy, suggesting a depoliticized viewpoint. However, the film’s anti-nostalgia experiment maintains interest throughout. It may demonstrate the outcome when a competent but intellectually limited creator like Garland collaborates with someone who isn't a dramatist. The result is, arguably, an unintended artistic endeavor.

      Warfare premieres on Friday, April 11.