It seems that Alex Garland has developed a taste for the big-screen battlefield. After bowling us over with his immersive war photography thriller Civil War earlier this year, the filmmaker is back with Warfare, a shootout story set in 2006 during the Iraq War, and with a stellar roll-call of young talent in front of the camera.
Written and directed by Garland and veteran Ray Mendoza, Warfare is, according to the trailer, an 'unfiltered' depiction of life on the front line, delivered in real time, and based on Mendoza’s memory of his actual experiences serving in Iraq. It follows a group of Navy SEALs under siege, facing bullets and serious injuries, all trying to escape as a group to find safety and back-up. As with Civil War, it’s an A24 joint, and its extensive list of stars includes D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Will Poulter, Shōgun’s Cosmo Jarvis, Gladiator II’s Joseph Quinn, Heartstopper’s Kit Connor, May December’s Charles Melton, Michael Gandolfini, and more. It’s an impressive group, and a thrilling premise – and if this harrowing trailer (and Garland’s work in Civil War) is anything to go by, it promises to be another heart-in-mouth time at the movies.
Warfare is coming in cinemas in 2025.