One doesn’t necessarily need combat experience to create a compelling war film. Though , , and had no such experience, their cinematic depictions of war’s brutality remain powerful. However, a filmmaker’s own harrowing experiences can lend an even greater weight, as seen in Sam Fuller’s The Steel Helmet, a Korean War film drawn from his WWII diaries. Many veterans choose not to share their war experiences, making the accounts of those who do all the more significant.
Ray Mendoza, an Iraq War veteran, collaborated with director (of and ) on Warfare, co-writing and co-directing the film. Mendoza was part of a Navy SEAL team involved in a perilous surveillance mission in Ramadi province, Iraq, in November 2006. Within hours, enemy forces attacked with a grenade, injuring two SEALs, including sniper and medic Elliott Miller (portrayed by in the film). Miller and another SEAL (Joseph Quinn) sustained further injuries when an IED detonated during their evacuation.
Warfare recounts the intense, real-time story of their rescue. Despite the film’s use of extended, lingering shots, the narrative progresses through moments of high tension. Warfare is not for the faint of heart. While the cinematography is restrained, the film allows the viewer’s imagination to fill in the violent details.
The film achieves a simultaneous sense of elegance and brutality: the grenade’s lingering smoke forms a pinkish-gold haze; sunlight filters through bullet holes in a door. Mendoza and other mission participants (played by talented young actors like , , and ) reconstructed the events from their recollections. Miller, who has no memory of that day, inspired Mendoza to create the film as “a living snapshot,” a tribute to his experiences.
While most war movies emphasize individual character development, Warfare takes a different approach. Although the audience becomes familiar with the faces of the young soldiers, their names and specific roles are less defined. The film conveys the idea that the loss of one man is deeply felt by all, connected by a shared bond. For those whose understanding of military experience comes primarily from media, the youth of these characters becomes increasingly striking with age. These are the individuals sent to war, and the U.S. has a questionable record of supporting them upon their return. It is sobering to see the young actors in Warfare and consider the real-life veterans they depict, now middle-aged. With potential cuts to veteran benefits and understaffed facilities, their future care is uncertain. This is the reality after facing the horrors of war: a hero’s welcome is not guaranteed.