The feeling of peeling your shirt from the back of the theater seat and seeing the photographs of the real Navy SEALS involved paired next to the actors that portrayed them are the two clearest signs that “Warfare,” the new film from Alex Garland (“Civil War,” “28 Days Later”), has finally ended. And what a harrowing, relentless, unflinching journey it is. You don’t watch “Warfare;” you survive it.
The movie follows a team of Navy Seals, all based on real soldiers, during a mission-turned-sideways in Ramadi, Iraq in 2006. “Warfare” is written by Ray Mendoza, a 16-year Navy SEAL veteran who was deployed in Iraq twice. He paired himself with Garland in order to recreate the horror he witnessed firsthand, and this movie is as much a horror film as it is a military movie and an action thriller. It’s almost a complete rejection of “1917,” a WWI film that strips the violence of organized military combat in favor of identifying the beauty that perseveres, captured through its gorgeous cinematography.
Don’t be fooled, this is not a pro-military film filled with patriotic propaganda. It’s a nasty 95-minute adventure that doesn’t attempt to shield the public from the atrocities of war through narratives and other Hollywood polish. It doesn’t ask questions. It doesn’t provide answers. It’s merely a document.
Some have described “Warfare” as the opening 30 minutes of “Saving Private Ryan,” when the Americans storm Omaha Beach, for an entire movie. Technically impressive and loud as hell, if you have the stomach for a film like this, you will be rewarded with one of the most visceral movies ever made.
“Warfare” is in theaters Friday. Here’s what else is available to watch this weekend.
What & How to Watch
On Apple TV+: Your Friends and Neighbors
Jon Hamm has been on fire in the TV world. Following significant roles in “The Morning Show,” “Fargo,” and “Landman,” Hamm gives us “Your Friends and Neighbors:” a series about a fired hedge fund manager who turns to thievery, targeting his affluent neighbors and former colleagues in order to make ends meet.
It’s a part of the modern canon of TV where we watch “rich people do awful stuff with lavish backdrops,” but it does explore some new territory. The show has lots of fun exposing more than a few skeletons in rich people’s closets as Hamm burglurizes his way to stability.
More entertaining than a critique on class, Hamm’s turn to break some bad is a great watch.
On Max: The Last of Us Season 2
Amid Max and Apple TV+’s face-off for being the most relevant streaming service of the year, the second season of “The Last of Us” is upon us, premiering this Sunday.
A post-apocalyptic zombie-infested voyage through America, the celebrated series based on the award-winning video game will completely flip the script with its second chapter, and test its audience in thought-provoking ways.
Is it sacrilegious to compare “The Last of Us Season 2” to “The Godfather Part II?” Absolutely, but the parallels are there in the ways characters change in unrecognizable turns, the structure of its story, and how the morality at the heart of the show is thrashed around amongst the chaos. It’s a wholly original sequel, and proves to be an incredible test to adapt for television. But, if done so successfully, it would be one of the best television shows of 2025.
And it takes place in Seattle, how cool! Episodes arrive weekly on Sunday, with the season debuting on April 13.
On Max: Hacks
“Hacks” returns for a fourth season after historic success at the Emmys and other awards bodies. Seattle-native Jean Smart won three Emmys for lead comedic actress in three tries, while the show also collected three writing, one directing, and one “Best Comedy Series” Emmys.
“Hacks” is about a down-on-her-luck comedy writer swooped up and mentored by a comedic legend, for better or worse. With physical comedy just as smart, fresh, and punchy as its writing and line delivery, the dark-humor dramedy creates such a unique pair of characters and a complicated, twisted relationship between them. Season 4 picks up from the last season’s highs and hits the ground running, ready to deliver another incredible slew of episodes.
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