There has never been a war film quite like Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza's "Warfare," which feels designed to discombobulate and disturb above all else. There is no real story here, no traditional plot, and certainly no character development — it's purely experiential, a real-time descent into a chaotic hell that asks the viewer to witness, and feel, the pain, exhaustion, and sheer terror of an actual battle scenario. And it does so without ever flirting with even a single rousing moment, or casting a specific judgment. "Warfare" throws you straight into the smoke and the muck, and expects you to grapple with your personal reaction to the visceral carnage of it all.

Those in the "support the troops" crowd hoping for a flag-waving tribute for men in uniform will be furious. Those wanting the film to make an overt statement about the futility of war, or American foreign policy,...