Warfare (2025) - 7/10

We’re in Iraq, Ramadi to be precise. It’s 2006, so what’s happening? Correct, war with US troops on the ground. Young men, full of bravado, armed to the teeth, going about the daily activities of their situation. There’s little plot. There’s little dialogue aside radio comms and screams. It’s driven by detail and instinct, much like the supposed reality. I say supposed, this isn’t a documentary, but it’s not a structured drama either. It’s a recreation based on the memories of those who were there. It burns slow to start. Minimal camera movement. Holding on faces, allowing the viewer to feel the emotions through them and sense the ominous tension building. You know what’s coming, but it’s still terrifying. Again it’s the details, the precision. “Tommy, you okay?” Tommy nods, but Tommy is not okay. I’m with Tommy to be honest. None of this should come as a surprise, it’s called Warfare after all, but it’s visceral cinema. Men seeing bodies blown to pieces, check themselves for limbs still attached. The shell-shock scene at the centre of this is harrowing. There’s plenty of depictions of modern warfare that are gritty and brutal, this is in that vein, but its overall simplicity elevates it to a point I’m not sure I’ve seen before. There’s no back story, character development, arguably very little happens, but that’s entirely the point. Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis and Joseph Quinn are the recognisable faces, but there’s no stars here. Erik (Poulter) is in charge, but the heavy lifting is shared, although D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai as Ray is particularly good. Is this an ‘important’ film? I don’t know. Is it entertaining? I’m not sure. Is it engaging? More than that, it demands your attention as each act steps up through the gears and the inevitable unfolds. Devastating. Brilliant, but devastating.

7/10