War movies have been around for almost as long as the art of cinema itself. But few films actually convey what it’s really like to wage war.
Warfare proved to be a rare exception when it debuted in theaters earlier this year.
Co-directors Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza pulled off such a stunning film that it will be an upset if Warfare isn’t nominated for Best Picture, among other Oscar nominations.
Now that Warfare has made its streaming debut, Watch With Us is sharing the reasons you need to catch it on HBO Max.
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‘Warfare’ Is Based on a True Story
Mendoza is a newcomer to Hollywood, but he brought authenticity to Warfare that most war films can’t match. During the second Gulf War, Mendoza was a Navy SEAL deployed in Iraq. In November 2006, Mendoza and his fellow soldiers were surrounded by insurgent forces in a battle that proved to be costly on both sides.
By co-writing and co-directing the movie with Mendoza, Garland gave the former soldier a chance to tell his largely unfiltered story. Most of the movie takes place in real time, and there are no subplots or romantic stories that you might see in other films. It’s simply one disastrous day in the life of these soldiers, and it may prove to be life-changing for them as well.
It’s One of the Most Realistic and Brutal Depictions of War Put on Film
Warfare is one of the most disturbing movies I’ve seen in years simply because the violence is so convincingly real. There are parts of this movie that are absolutely ugly to watch, and the actors are covered with so much dirt, grime and blood that it’s almost stomach-churning.
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And yet that’s the reality of war. It’s not supposed to be pretty, and Hollywood has spent decades depicting war in a more acceptable light. That’s why this film stands out. It’s brutal and shocking in ways that few films have ever matched, and it feels like the closest that anyone has come to recreating the experience of being in the middle of a war zone without any unnecessary flourishes.
The Cast Includes a Fantastic Group of Young Actors
As impressive as the film itself is, the casting for this flick deserves a special shout-out for bringing together several young actors on the rise. Reservation Dogs star D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai plays Mendoza, while Shōgun‘s Cosmo Jarvis portrays Elliott Miller, a soldier who suffered horrific injuries during the battle.
Joseph Quinn (The Fantastic Four: First Steps), Kit Connor (Heartstopper), Will Poulter (Dope Sick), Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country) and Charles Melton (Riverdale) round out the cast as soldiers whose names were changed for the film. None of these performers presented their characters as anything other than ordinary men who were caught up in an extraordinarily dangerous situation. The soldiers don’t really speak unless it’s necessary, but this group of actors gave them life and humanity in some of their darkest moments.
Warfare is streaming on Max.
