The Mosley Review: Warfare
It is a truly remarkable thing that happens when real stories about war are translated to film in a way that is not grandiose or spectacle driven. Its the intense and horrific nature of violence that bores from both sides of the conflict. The true stories of the survivors is where you get the human connection within the fog of war and the truly heroing experience they go through. Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down, Jarhead and 1917 are in my opinion, the cinematic definition of being right there on the ground with the heroes of the armed forces. Those are the most beautiful, horrific, exhilarating and tragic films that put you in their lives and not many films have achieved that level intimacy. This film not only matches that same level of engagement, but it lets you sit in with the soldiers in a way that hasn't been explored. The moments of intense drama and action are ear shattering, but its the moments of tension within the silence of it all and its where the film shines brightest. I have never felt so immersed in a true story like this is so long and I was actually a bit scarred by the authenticity of the events that transpired. This film truly moved me and the performances of the cast were nothing but respectful and authentic to real soldiers involved and I applaud them for that.
Will Poulter as Erik, Officer in Charge, was fantastic and his commanding presence was perfection. He carries the weight of every decision and leads with the most clear head for the majority of the film. I loved that even in the height of turmoil, he knows when to delegate powers of leadership. D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai was awesome as his right hand, Ray Mendoza, the communicator/JTAC. The accuracy of his communication language and code work was amazing and smooth. I loved the friendship between him and Erik and I loved the internal ramifications that happen mentally and physically to him when the action effects him. Its that fog of war that truly comes across his physical performance after a horrific attack. Cosmo Jarvis was great as Elliott Miller, a Corpsman/lead sniper. He gets to have the most intense moments of the film with the sniper observation scenes. The tension of his breathing was scary as he saw the many enemies preparing for the inevitable attack. To put it lightly, the man takes an insane “beating” in the film and my god was it heartbreaking. Joseph Quinn delivers a more stoic performance as Sam, the LPO. His very observant and yet quiet performance for the first half was alarming, but carried so much weight. Its the quiet and concentrated stare that illustrated how focused a soldier must be in the field. He takes an even more shocking and horrific “beating” and it was truly torturous to witness his and Elliot's pain. Michael Gandolfini was great as USMC CAPT McDonald as he was the source of the small moments of levity in the film. I loved his attentiveness to the wounded and the accuracy of how chaotic it gets. Charles Melton takes charge the moment he is on screen as Jake, Assistant Officer in Charge. He commands the situation and does the best to keep everyone focused and alive. I loved his moment the most with Erik and that scene was the definition of brotherhood. He took care of his brother in arms and his fellow service men.
The lack of score was perfect because I felt it would've significantly lessoned the tone of the film. The action in the film is shot beautifully and is so brutally relentless. The sound design of the film is truly a highlight as I said before earlier. The thunderous punch of every explosion and high caliber bullet fired is felt, but it is the silence for the majority of the film that delivers the most tension and realism above all. The conversations between the teams was truly the most engrossing part of the story and it honors the real life soldiers and sacrifices. By the films end, you feel as if you were stuck in the same house as the team and your ears are still ringing. This was truly one of the best war films I've seen in a long time and definitely one of the best films of the year. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!
