War is hell, and that certainly is shown viscerally in this 95-minute feature. If only it did more than that.
“Warfare,” directed and penned by Alex Garland, is based on the account of U.S. Navy Seal Ray Mendoza, who shared his story as a co-writer. The movie is more or less a bottle film. There are a few overhead shots from the perspective of military aircraft and a few scenes set on roads nearby, but the great majority of “Warfare” is in a single house.
It’s 2006, and the U.S. military is engaged in the Battle of Ramadi during the Iraq War. The film centers on a group of Navy SEALS who have set themselves up in an Iraqi home to monitor activity across the street. Unfortunately, they’re soon found out and are quickly pinned down by a large group of Iraqi fighters and have to survive until they can be evacuated.
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Matthew Liedke on Film 