Review by cinemapersonified

Rating - 8.0: Overall, a good war film that authentically captures what the gory and deafening trauma the characters were going through as it does a good job showing the toll the ambushed mission had on these soldiers mentally, in a way that doesn't idolize the Iraq War but rather memorializes what happened; Warfare doesn't have the bells and whistles you would expect from a traditional war film because it is more about reacting to what these characters were experiencing as if you were there with them.

Direction - Good: The direction on a macroscale is good as it authentically builds the world and how confined these soldiers were in this house, creating a sense of panic and anxiety for everyone; The direction on a microscale is all about the panic these soldiers are going through and the fear and shock they experience during the mission; The storytelling happens in real time as it is all reactionary to what these characters were going through, and because of this there really isn't that much of a story; They build tension effectively because this whole movie is about creating a tense environment that is so traumatic and anxiety-inducing that you feel you are with these soldiers on their mission

Story - Good: The concept is pretty simple as it is just a real-life ambushed mission during the Iraq War, but this movie provides so much detail into what went on that it feels very authentic by cutting out the bells and whistles and focusing on the characters reacting to what is going on; the plot structure is non-traditional as there really isn't much story to go through; it is more about experiencing what these characters were going through as if you were there; but at the end of the day, you can say there was a linear plot structure with what little plot they have; character writing, as a group, is good as the movie is really about the trauma these characters were experiencing, and these depictions felt very authentic to those in the Iraq War

Screenplay - Good: The dialogue feels very tactical and authentic to military personnel in the Iraq War, so, because of this, it may be a bit boring considering it doesn't have the bells and whistles you would expect from a traditional Hollywood war movie; the humor is very "bro humor," as it is stuff these soldiers would say for camaraderie; the symbolism is incredibly profound as it authentically portrays what these characters were experiencing, and it does so in a way that doesn't idolize war but memorializes what happened, authentically describing what these characters were going through and the negative toll it had on them; the movie shows how destructive the Americans were in Iraq as they had no regard for the locals and were as destructive as possible to defeat the enemy; this movie is very anti-war in its moral sentiments as it hammers the physical and mental toll the Iraq War had on them and how they were shown a lifestyle that wasn't what was advertised

Acting - Decent to Pretty Good: D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Will Poulter - Pretty Good (He plays his role well as the leader and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Cosmo Jarvis - Pretty Good (He plays his role well as he is the main soldier who goes through physical pain and trauma during the attack), Kit Connor - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast;), Finn Bennett - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Taylor John Smith - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Michael Gandolfini - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Adain Bradley - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Noah Centineo - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Evan Holtzman - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Henry Zaga - Decent to Pretty Good (He plays his role well and has pretty good chemistry with the cast), Joseph Quinn - Pretty Good (Even though his character is very whiny and shouts a lot, he plays his character well and has pretty good chemistry with the rest of the cast), Charles Melton - Decent to Pretty Good (Basically, it feels like a cameo, but it works well with the group), Rest of the cast - Decent to Pretty Good (No one performance overshadows another; this cast works as a group to help tell the story and show both the camaraderie and tragedy of war)

Soundtrack - Decent to Pretty Good: While there is no score and barely a soundtrack, the dichotomy between the beginning and ending songs shows the change in sentiment for the soldiers and the toll the war had on them

Cinematography - Good: Well shot to make this movie feel like you were there with these soldiers in war

Editing - Good: Helps increase the anxiety of the scenes and show the toll the ambush took on the characters

Sound - Great: Sound is deafening and mimics the anxiety-inducing sequences these characters were going through, being under fire

Visual Effects - Good to Very Good: It feels like they used many practical effects, as they authentically portrayed what was going on in the war

Production Design - Very Good: Feels authentic as they showed side by side the real apartment and the set they used

Makeup - Very Good: The blood and gore will make people squeamish; but it is necessary to show the gore and atrocities these characters were going through

Costumes - Good: Helps show the authenticity of these soldiers in the Iraq War

Pacing - Pacing is very much on the slower side because there is barely any plot to go through, but this feels very intentional as it makes you experience the real-time wait for these characters and how help felt like forever away; the movie being 95 minutes feels right as there was nothing you could really add or cut

Climax - The climax is typical of a war movie, and those scenes were well shot

Tone - Tone is not your typical war movie; it is more of a psychological drama; you feel you are with these characters, experiencing what is going on in the war; it authentically portrays the horrors and traumas of the Iraq War

Final Notes - The movie effectively uses its low budget, as it is more about the experience and not the bells and whistles.