The brainchild of Alex Garland, known for his previous work on “Ex Machina” and “Annihilation,” and Ray Mendoza, a former Navy SEAL whose firsthand experiences shape the film’s authenticity, “Warfare” is a testament to their combined storytelling prowess. Garland, having recently shifted from science fiction to the gritty realism of war dramas, previously directed “Civil War” in 2024. This film, which offered a journalistic perspective on a hypothetical American conflict, earned a respectable 7/10 from Looper.

A significant draw of “Warfare” is its ensemble cast, featuring some of the most promising young actors in the industry today. The lineup includes talents like Joseph Quinn, Will Poulter, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Charles Melton, and Noah Centineo. Despite their star appeal, the film’s box office performance was modest, grossing $33 million against a $20 million production budget. However, with its availability on HBO Max, the film is poised to capture a wider audience.

“Warfare” delves into the harrowing 2006 Battle of Ramadi during the Iraq War, presenting the events in real-time to convey the soldiers’ experiences. The narrative oscillates between the monotony of downtime and intense bursts of violence, capturing the relentless struggle for survival. Critics have lauded the film for its unwavering commitment to realism, offering viewers a visceral and immersive experience.

“Warfare” is based on real soldiers’ accounts of the Battle of Ramadi that occurred in 2006 in the midst of the Iraq War. The whole movie is presented in real time, so you see how much downtime the soldiers have. It lulls in parts, but then the violence breaks out and it becomes an unrelenting struggle to make it out of the situation alive. It’s an incredibly visceral film that ultimately worked for many critics, who praised its commitment to realism. 

That’s particularly the case when it comes to sound design. Looper’s review of “Warfare” praised this element, noting that it worked particularly well in a cinema setting. If you have a decent sound set-up at home, you should expect a similar experience watching it on HBO Max. Ultimately, the sound design works in service of showing the brutal reality of war. What the film may lack in characterizations, it makes up for in brutal imagery, with Empire writing, “War is hell, and ‘Warfare’ refuses to shy away from it. Free of the operatics of most supposed anti-war films, it’s all the more effective for its simplicity. It is respectfully grueling.”

“Warfare” only has a 95-minute runtime, a far cry from other war films like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Black Hawk Down” that are well over two hours each. It may not seem like a long time, but once the gunfire starts, it’ll feel like it never ends. By the time the credits are rolling, you feel like you’ve been through an ordeal alongside the characters, and that’s a testament to Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza’s combined efforts.