Movie Review: WARFARE

I’m an 80’s kid who grew up idolizing anything Vietnam—books, movies, and getting to meet Nam vets. The struggle, the fear, the commitment, the action, and the unknown fascinated me. I was also a huge fan of going to the movies. There was something special about looking in the newspaper to find the showtimes, then using the rotary telephone to coordinate with all your friends and their parents to go to the same showing, especially on opening day. We’d then hit up Blockbuster to rent anything with Stallone, Arnold, or Chuck Norris.

My love for movies and my ability to communicate entirely in 80’s movie quotes is a gift that has never left me. Even after 25 years of service, I still love war movies. I honestly even love the bad ones. My son, who is 8, has inherited this trait as well. With advancements in the film industry, the instant flow of information, and two decades of war, we have a responsibility to produce quality representations of modern warfare.

I was deployed to Somalia in 1993, and we had just rotated out as TF Ranger rolled in. When the book “Black Hawk Down” came out, I read it in two days, and it broke my heart. I recently found my laminated copy of our ROE’s (Rules of Engagement) from that time, and it was so disappointing to see how we are often told to do a job but not allowed to do it properly. I felt that the movie was, at the time, the best depiction of a combat film I had ever seen, partly because it was relevant to my experience and I was still on active duty when it was released.

When you try to tell a story through a Hollywood lens, the majority of the time you get wave tops—just enough to keep you interested but also to keep the pace moving so the audience doesn’t lose interest and the seats stay filled. Often, the slow parts are overlooked to create the next blockbuster action war flick.

Today, I saw WARFARE and felt the Holy Spirit sit me down to write this review. I didn’t know much about this movie other than Ray Mendoza is a SEAL and he was determined to make this movie the way it needed to be told. I saw the trailer, or as my son calls them “pre-ve-eows,” and I was excited to see it.

I will start by saying I could smell the movie. I could feel the dusty, hot air; I felt thirsty; I felt, as my old DOC John Tague would say, “The fear of impending DOOM.” I felt the discomfort of all the gear, but I also felt the brotherhood, the trust, and the love. The opening scene of the movie provides all the character building you need. You get to see inside a team room before they push off, sharing one last laugh at the dumbest thing in the world, but they laugh together. It captured our ability to compartmentalize where they were, what they were getting ready to do, and the literal walk into impending DOOM.

A phrase we all picked up along the way, “calm breeds calm,” was a constant in the storytelling of WARFARE. It truly captured the maturity of the professional warfighter. The communications in the house and “over the net” were spot on. I was drawn in and felt like I was in the room. I understand that not everyone has seen this, so I won’t give too much away. However, there is a part where the spotter is called weak over the radio, and 10 seconds later, again called weak by the lead sniper, which made me laugh. It captured that team love, that even in the darkest of times, we can still find humor and bust each other’s ass 24/7 without hesitation.

Ray was able to take all the memories from those who were there and piece them together into a major motion picture, a legit after-action report. For those who have served and often wondered why we all have to keep a patrol log, this film answers that question.

For those who haven’t seen this movie, you need to think about it in a few ways. This was ONE DAY for three teams covering roughly a 4-block area. Let that sink in—it was one day in 2006 in Ramadi, Iraq. If you’re not picking up what I’m saying, there were hundreds of days just like this going on throughout Iraq and Afghanistan for 20 years. This movie should hurt your soul and ignite a respect for those who volunteer their lives for something bigger than themselves. When you see politicians using veterans and our benefits as pawns for political prowess and clout, it should make you angry. Hopefully, you remember that sting when you vote.

Watch this movie, which is 10000000% a true story. Look at the elements—the supporting efforts, the CAS-EVAC, the air support—all that went into ONE DAY. Then remember Abby Gate and the withdrawal from Afghanistan. So, Ray, if you read this, please make a film about Abby Gate next and don’t hold back.

This story deserves to win every award and accolade there is. It is in the top ten war films of all time. This movie captures what it takes to provide coordinated efforts on the battlefield in support of a larger effort or fighting force. Running R&S (recon and surveillance) and providing overwatch is tedious and dangerous. This is why training is so important. There are so many takeaways from this movie, too many to go into detail on. One is for those who have no idea what this ONE DAY is like; you need to compare it to other films, both fiction and non-fiction, to see how they completely breeze over the pressure, blast radius, debris, shockwave, and their effects on everyone in the immediate area.

Go see this movie, buy this movie so you can watch it over and over. This story was not told to glorify one branch of service or one unit over the other. It was to provide a clear understanding of the raw emotion and what ONE DAY looks like. This, to date, is one of the greatest stories ever told. This is the standard for war films going forward.

I cannot recommend this movie enough.

Ray did a great job capturing the authenticity of the gear, the look, the personalities, and the movements—all of it. Hey, Hollywood, maybe it’s time to stop putting millions of dollars into so-called great directors and go a different path. Actually, I think Ray just proved we don’t need you and your soulless town. Go see this today!!!!