IF YOU LIKE WAR MOVIES… you might enjoy Warfare.

IF YOU WERE OKAY WITH THE REALISTIC GORE OF SAVING PRIVATE RYAN… you might enjoy Warfare.

IF YOU APPROVE OF AMERICA’S INVOLVEMENT IN IRAQ IN THIS CENTURY… you might enjoy Warfare.

The true events depicted in Warfare occurred on November 19, 2006. American Navy seals were sent into a neighborhood of Ramadi, Iraq to quell an assemblage of jihadists. They took over a residence. They engaged the enemy. 

A missle hit resulted in injuries to troops who were outside the residence. Efforts were made to address those grisly wounds. A pair of tanks were dispatched to ferry the troops out of the danger zone.

Did this action have a significant effect on the U.S, war effort in Iraq? Hard to say. As one of the Iraqi family members whose home was taken over by the Americans pleads near the movie’s end, “Why?” 

The moviemaking craft employed here is laudable. Despite being filmed primarily in Britain, the moviemakers (co-directors/writers Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza) do a superb job of recreating the Iraqi home and its environs. Aerial surveillance images add to the storytelling of the mission.

Warfare shows the teamwork and commitment these men—real life individuals—put into the U.S. military efforts in Iraq. Only a few of these men have their real names and photos shown in the film’s end credits—most are given aliases and their faces are blurred.

Warfare is intense. Not an easy film to watch. Once was enough for me. Rated R.