By Patrick Rupinen, Staff Writer

Warfare is the most realistic war movie ever created. I have seen Saving Private Ryan, 1914 and Generation Kill. They all pale in comparison to this movie. 

The moments the guns started to go off, I knew this movie was going to be for real. The crack of the AR-15 style rifle will instantly make your adrenaline pump. The booming blasts of explosions will make you jump out of your seat. 

The gore in the movie is unlike any war movie that I have seen. Many people think of the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan when they think of a gory war movie. Warfare takes a different approach when there is gore. Although the movie has some of the most brutal gore I have ever seen, it is hardly the focal point and mostly serves as background scenery. 

The first aid scenes are brutal and probably some of the most accurate depictions of warfare I can think of. From the plugging of bullet holes to the application of tourniquets, Warfare nails the realism. It is like the nightmare scenario every first aid course has ever prepared me for and should be a required watch for any trauma informed care course. 

There is very little actual death on screen during the movie. That is the point though, since you are given the point of view of the SEALs and soldiers. 

People freeze up, these are not the superhuman tactical operator Navy SEALs we see in other TV shows or video games, these are real men. Real people stumble about after getting blown up and concussed. Real people freeze up when people scream in agony in front of them. 

Warfare highlights how when the special forces freeze in action, it is only ever for a few seconds. Then they go right back to assessing the situation and falling back on the training they have. The movie shows how well-prepared SEALs act even when concussed or wounded; they still remember where exactly things are on their packs. 

This movie’s cast is filled with actors who I would have never expected to see in a movie like this. Michael Gandolfini was a real shock when I saw him after having just watched him in the recent episode of Daredevil: Born Again. Warfare also features actor Joseph Quinn, who most people know as Eddie from Netflix’s Stranger Things. The movie quickly turned these stars from playing young adults into playing battle hardened veterans, a role they took on well. 

A24 has created the greatest war movie and surprisingly the greatest anti war movie at the same time. Many war movies make war seem heroic or cool even if they are trying to show the horrors of it. Warfare does not do that, it gives viewers a raw unadulterated look of what combat looks like.

There are no lulls in combat where they dive into backstories, once the action picks up the story does not stop. The sounds of gunfire and blood curdling screams of wounded men are only deafened occasionally, which feels more like an act of mercy towards the audience.

While many would not think from the trailer that Warfare is an anti-war movie, it is because it forces the viewer to confront the brutality of war.