arungeorge13

Alongside Alex Garland, former US Navy Seal Ray Mendoza directs an immersive, often claustrophobic film that's sure to stay in your memory for its mindblowing AUDIO-visual experience. The storytelling side may not present anything particularly new other than the fact all of it is pictured with little context beyond an opening card, no characters particularly standing out (as it's made to be), and it's almost like we're following a silent third-person perspective, documentary-style. The first 30 minutes sets up the chaotic scenario that a platoon gets stuck in without giving much away, and the film offers you a up, close, and intrudingly personal look at the (explosive?) developments that follow.

For starters, it ain't your typical war flick. There couldn't have been a better title for this -- it's like playing a war-based video game except that there's a single mission, the consequences feel real (because yes, it's historically accurate) and unfold in real time. Familiar faces among the cast include Joseph Quinn and Will Poulter, who lend gravitas to their roles. The pain of war is wholly felt -- the smoke, dust, gunfire, constant cries, burns, and bloodshed remind you what's consistently at stake for 1h 30m. You won't walk away with the finest wartime storytelling, but Warfare gives you something most such films do not -- it's an unflinching, dangerously real take!

Karthik Subbaraj -- the man of absolute tonal shifts, the true-blue Tarantino fan, the "fanboy" director -- once again fails to elicit any real emotion from his writing. I'll add this to the same list as Mahaan (sorry, didn't work for me because of Dhruv Vikram's BS), Mercury, and Jagame Thandhiram. The writing here shows glimpses of fire in the first half, when it's busy building up the characters of Paari (Suriya) and Thilagan (Joju George). From the moment Rukmini (Pooja Hedge) shows up, the screenplay takes a beating. The romance is superficial (no clue what attracts them to each other), and followed by a subplot around a stolen shipment, which runs FAAAAAR too long for its own good. Hegde is sorta better here than we usually see of her, though the "brown-washing" of her face (if deliberate?) was a bad move.

The first half standout is that incredible one-take, comprising wedding dances, a spontaneous action sequence, and some solid emotional exchanges. Suriya's intro sequence is also badass, with SaNa's Lose Your Fkin Mind playing in the background. I also liked how Paari is skilled at karate, making the action blocks more interesting than usual. But when the setting shifts to some island near the Andamans, Karthik Subbaraj goes into JDX mode for no reason. There's a deity, a dictatorial cult, that stolen-shipment subplot I mentioned, and unreciprocated love. The way all of this eventually connects is so poorly written, with a terrible antagonist (played by Vidhu, trying to be Daniel Balaji Lite) and set pieces that stop being grounded and interesting, and start looking heavily dependent on wires and pulleys.

The worst bits go to Jayaram (man, what the hell are you doing?), an actor we know is capable of pulling off fantastic performances. I enjoyed the stupidity that Sujith Shankar brought to the table with his sleazy character, but I don't understand what Nassar, Prakash Raj, Karunakaran, and Shriya Saran added to the film. SaNa's score, as always in KS movies, is the backbone (..the songs are a mixed bag..). The climax was laughable (no, not the way KS intended) and a downright bummer. Let's keep the politics aside, when there's no scope for it, what say KS?