First look at ‘Warfare’ brings viewers into tenacity of Iraq War

Fresh off the release of his 2024 blockbuster “Civil War,” writer and director Alex Garland (”Ex Machina,” “28 Days Later”) is joining Navy SEAL veteran and budding filmmaker Ray Mendoza to helm the Iraq War film “Warfare.”

Set in 2006, the film “embeds audiences with a platoon of American Navy SEALs in the home of an Iraqi family, [observing] the movement of U.S. forces through insurgent territory,” according to the synopsis.

But when enemy activity erupts, the team’s mission becomes a fight to stay alive. The movie, which A24 says follows the SEALs in real time as they fight their way out of a hornet’s nest, “is based on the memory of the people who lived it.”

Mendoza, who worked as Garland’s military adviser on “Civil War” and produced some of the more harrowing combat sequences ever portrayed in cinema, served in the military for 16 years and earned a Silver Star for his actions during the 2006 Battle of Ramadi, when, during a sniper overwatch mission, his position was attacked with a barrage of grenade and small arms fire from multiple enemy positions.

While it remains to be seen how closely the film will follow Mendoza’s experience during that engagement, the visceral nature of combat illustrated in “Warfare” feels like an inevitability, considering the recent Garland-Mendoza sample size in “Civil War.”

A24 has also developed a reputation for producing gritty movies, rolling out films like “Hereditary,” “Zone of Interest,” “Ex Machina,” “Heretic” and “Green Room,” among an expansive list.

If the combat sequences in the “Warfare” trailer are any indication, it’s sure to follow suit.

“Warfare” stars D’pharaoh Woon-A-Tai (“Reservation Dogs”), Will Poulter (“The Revenant,” “The Bear”), Cosmo Jarvis (“Shogun”) and Joseph Quinn (“Gladiator 2,” “Stranger Things”).

The film hits theaters in 2025. Watch the trailer below.