Overview

• Warfare, co-directed by Alex Garland and Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza, reconstructs a disastrous 2006 Navy SEAL mission in Ramadi using veterans’ memories.
• The film emphasizes raw, sensory depictions of combat, avoiding musical scores and character backstories to focus on the immediate experience of war.
• Garland describes the film as implicitly anti-war, while acknowledging that there are circumstances where war may be necessary.
• Veteran involvement in the production, including a Navy SEAL-style bootcamp and pre-release veteran screenings, has been described as therapeutic by participants.
• Critics highlight the film’s lack of broader context and underrepresentation of Iraqi civilian experiences, despite portraying their suffering during the mission.