Living With B

A surveillance mission goes wrong for a platoon of American Navy SEALs in insurgent territory in Iraq.

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my thoughts

A24 making another movie about war? Sign me up immediately! One thing about me that might surprise people is how much I genuinely love and appreciate war films—especially the ones that go for realism instead of glamorizing it.

And Warfare nailed that!

The film starts with the guys just hanging out, relaxing with each other—and then, bam. It cuts to nighttime. They’re moving in on their location and setting up shop. From that point on, the tension doesn’t let up. The anxiety of being on the front lines? You feel it. The fear and the pain come right through the screen, and it’s heavy.

What I liked is that they didn’t jump around between different days or timelines. The entire movie follows a single day. And even though most movies raise the stakes just to keep things moving, Warfare didn’t feel like it was doing that for the sake of drama. This is based on real accounts from the men who were there, so the rising tension felt natural—it felt like war. Chaotic, stressful, and unrelenting.

And yes… I did cry. But only a few times! I’m not gonna get into why, just because it’s a little personal, but what hit me was that this film doesn’t lean into the usual themes of home or family as so many war movies do. This is raw. It’s about what these veterans experienced, plain and simple.

It also does an incredible job of showing how trauma builds in real time—how PTSD creeps in while you’re still trying to survive the moment. That part stuck with me.

Oh—and the performances? Insane. Everyone in the cast went through a 3-week boot camp to prep for this, and it shows. Joseph Quinn and Cosmo Jarvis as Sam and Elliot? Phenomenal. Their performances were heartbreaking, and they carried so much weight throughout the whole film. Will Poulter was quieter, but his presence? Still powerful. Every actor brought it. I seriously hope they’re all doing okay after filming this, because wow.

do i recommend this?

Absolutely. 100%. If you’re into war films—especially the ones that don’t sugarcoat anything—you need to watch Warfare. It starts a little slow, but once it gets going, it goes. I honestly can’t say enough good things about it. It’s a heavy watch, but one worth sitting with.

Read More Movie Reviews Here! Find Me Online: Letterboxd

Articles I Found: Military Times | Tasked & Purpose | BAFTA