Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from directors Alex Garland, Ray Mendoza and A24 is the startling film about a band of men who want to get back home during WARFARE.

A platoon of Navy SEALs is on a mission in Ramadi, Iraq to locate insurgents in November 2006. Leading the team is Erik (Will Poulter), with radioman Ray (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elliott (Cosmo Jarvis), Tommy (Kit Connor), Macdonald (Michael Gandolfini), Pete (Laurie Duncan), Sam (Joseph Quinn), and Frank (Taylor John Smith).

Taking over a house, the team spends hours watching their targets from across the road. Remaining as stationary as possible, they keep their eyes open as those they are watching are coming and going out of the building. Keeping in contact with their superiors, the soldiers notice that something is happening as the streets quickly clear and become empty. Immediately, things begin exploding and rapid fire hit the building the men are in.

Rallying, the men fight back hard while reaching for reinforcements. Until help arrives, the insurgents feel the power as military jets try to clear a path for the men to get clear. As the scene becomes chaotic, the men try to help one another with severe injuries while waiting for back up to arrive. Their bond for one another will be their strongest weapon against the enemy!

Poulter as Erik leads the men into their mission with a clear goal and understanding that each man is capable of their objective. This is such a strong role for Poulter and he handles it with precision and focus. Watching this actor come up through such diverse roles, he has definitely shown his worth as an actor in both comedy, action and now drama. Woon-A-Tai is equally as focused as Ray, a young man who keeps the positioning on track but has an even more difficult job ahead of him once things become more volatile. Ray becomes a focus put never pulls focus from the story being told.

Quinn as Sam gives a performance is sent shivers up my spine and emotions spiraling all over the place. His role is absolutely difficult to watch but necessary at the same time. Gandolfini, Jarvis, Connor, Duncan and Smith are part of the platoon trying to do their job and survive at the same time. They want to do their part and, at the same time, take care of their brothers. Their roles are so important to the story and make an impact that is powerful and meaningful. Each of these actors makes an indelible mark portraying their roles that captured my attention from start to finish.

Other cast include: Aaron Mackenzie as Kelly, Alex Brockdorff as Mikey, Evan Holtzman as Brock, Joe Macaulay as Mo, Laurie Duncan as Pete, Jake Lampert as Ted, Aaron Deakins as Bob, Henrique Zaga as Aaron, Noah Centineo as Brian and Adain Bradley as Sgt. Laerrus.

During the last U.S. premier showing of WARFARE at the Village Theatre in Coronado, California, the directors and cast were there to support the film in our military town and answer questions after the film.

Director Ray Mendoza talks what brought him into filmmaking and makes it clear that the viewers opinion matters, “What got me into this is the film ACTOR OF VALOR and it got me into this medium. Something I recognized right off the bat was the structure, working in concert to achieve an objective so I could relate to that. I like that team concept, it’s how I work and it is how I was raised. I found that it was a good outlet for me as I was transitioning at the time and it was very rough. A lot of things going on and it was rough and I had a lot of things going on so it really was rough. I had a hard time expressing what was going on and I didn’t have the vocabulary to do it. I hit rock bottom in a lot of ways and had a daughter I needed to be a father too; I had friends who helped me climb out of this whole and dig into this industry. I always try to approach it the way teams taught me with respect, tact and try to do it responsibly. So, I learned how to tell stories, not just military stories, doing humbling work. I needed to learn this new language and me wanting to tell this story, I knew I had to understand how to do this through storytelling and framing it.”

Director Alex Garland speaks on what caused him to search out Mendoza for a project they could do together, “Ray and I worked on CIVIL WAR. He was in a way a choreographer for gun fights and there was a particular sequence where the soldiers were fighting and watching Ray work with the performers. What was clear is that there were things in there that were not normally seen. As a civilian, I saw a rhythm to the gunfights and the explosion and recollecting and communicating with one another, it was fascinating. The sequence really interested me and I contacted Ray with a question and said, ‘what if we take 90 minutes or 100 minutes of real combat that had one task, to recreate it as accurately as we possibly can’. Ray said he had such a story and it was, for me, an exercise in listening. Civilians I think don’t listen enough. There is sort of a thing people believe that soldiers don’t talk about their experiences. I think they do under the right circumstances provided they are being heard! So, the actors had to listen to one another and it was humbling and fascinating.

Will Poulter says of his work on the film and the challenges, “Stating the obvious as actors, we were responsible of representing people. We were doing a very limited version of what, of course, the people in military learn over a much longer period of time. We were very lucky to get that opportunity and it served two key functions – the first, gave us enough of a skill set to put our best foot forward as far as representing the gentlemen we were responsible for and secondly, and equally important, is that it bonded us in kind of a measurable way. It surprised us all, what that meant is that when we got to set, we were responsible for executing various objectives entrusted to us by the director. It was in full naturally by genuine love, care and respect for each other. It was responding to protocol and falling back on the training we were lucky to get by Ray, who deserves a lot for his patience with us.”

WARFARE is an intense battle film that does not stop from start to finish. As the film begins there is already a sense of tension from the actors onscreen that trickles down into the audience quickly. The goal of the mission is clear as each moment passes in the telling from quiet radio transmission to non-verbal cues between the soldiers themselves. When the fighting begins, the senses are assaulted from the loud rapid fire and explosions to the intense reaction of the soldiers as they call for help and are wounded. The cast excel in their character portrayals and directors Garland and Mendoza have presented us with something truly well done.

With all of it, this is an important story that needs to be seen by the general public as a glimpse into war and what it does to those returning home long term. There is, of course, concern for those who may find the film triggering so I feel compelled to say so. For myself, it provided me with a deeper understanding of my own family’s history with war and its effects after. I agree with director Garland in that those who have experienced trauma need from us better listening and understanding skills. That is where the disconnect lies sometimes and it is something we all can change about ourselves for the sake of those who put their lives and bravery on the line.

In the end – the only way out is together!

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