Warfare (2025) - Film Review

Am I the only one who goes back and forth between calling this "Warzone" and the title it actually is: "Warfare"? You might better understand why by the time I'm finished discussing this. As you might be able to tell by the trailer, "Warfare" is set during the American-Iraq War in the mid-2000's based on a true military situation the survivors endured. What some folks may not know is that despite the film's opening scenes set up elsewhere, the vast majority of the story is strictly confined to one specific zone within Iraq and covers its plot in said area.

The main mission starts off simply enough with a Navy SEAL platoon taking over a house within Ramadi to monitor activity in the area. When their enemies suspect their presence however, they don't waste time in taking action and manage to catch the platoon off-guard. From there, the platoon follows their trained procedures and makes sure they get their best possible chance at survival given the cards dealt. The plot is set in real-time, meaning that you'll rarely see any cuts to other events unfolding elsewhere in the narrative.

What this also means is that we're largely stuck inside this house for the majority of the plot, giving credence to my theory that this should be titled "Warzone" instead. In comparison to the best films the war genre has on offer, you can tell by its design that "Warfare" operates on a much smaller scale. Given that this comes from indie film studio A24, which specializes in far less heavy budgets as opposed to the major film studios, I suppose it's to be expected. As for the plot, it moves along efficiently with a fair amount of build-up and tension.

With a running time of 1 1/2 hours and change, that should be expected. In the opening scene, we witness the troops getting their spirits lifted on account of a workout video starring a female celebrity. As they're making their move taking over the house, a few troops throw gestures each other's way presumably in response to the video. It starts off with some character development before we're confined to this property. Then, it largely focuses on the soldiers striving to survive their situation. In short, it's mostly military talk from here.

Whether or not you'll be able to get into the rest of the film as much will depend on your understanding and tolerance of authentic military lingo. I'm sure it's true to what U.S. soldiers are trained to do, but it may cause some viewers to either be lost or not as invested. I'm just barely able to keep up on that front here, but it's obviously not going to be as attention getting as the action and violence. On the action front, it gets the job done fine for the budget. I wouldn't say it competes with other landmark war titles that tell more captivating stories.

The replay value for "Warfare" is fairly low. After one viewing, there's not much of a reason to revisit it once more. It's not like "Saving Private Ryan" where you had the opening 20-minute battle with an insane amount of bloody carnage everywhere. It does cover a war that most Americans wish to forget after the end result didn't really get us anywhere. Your mileage may vary depending on your patience on more attention bring put on a war that didn't need to be. For what it is, "Warfare" does provide what you expect out of the genre.

Final Verdict: 7.5/10