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When Alex Garland said he was "not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future" all the way back in April, he didn't say he wasn't planning to co-direct. So: Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's real-time Iraq war film Warfare (NSFW).

brundlefly wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 2:22 pm When Alex Garland said he was "not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future" all the way back in April, he didn't say he wasn't planning to co-direct. So: Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's real-time Iraq war film Warfare (NSFW).

No more of these American imperialism, bootlicking pieces of propaganda, please

beamish14 wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 3:28 pm

brundlefly wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 2:22 pm When Alex Garland said he was "not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future" all the way back in April, he didn't say he wasn't planning to co-direct. So: Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's real-time Iraq war film Warfare (NSFW).

No more of these American imperialism, bootlicking pieces of propaganda, please

Is there some source material for this film? If not, I'm not sure how you can definitively say that's the tone/message of the film just from that trailer. And it would certainly be out of character for Alex Garland.

willoneill wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 4:00 pm

beamish14 wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 3:28 pm

brundlefly wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 2:22 pm When Alex Garland said he was "not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future" all the way back in April, he didn't say he wasn't planning to co-direct. So: Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's real-time Iraq war film Warfare (NSFW).

No more of these American imperialism, bootlicking pieces of propaganda, please

Is there some source material for this film? If not, I'm not sure how you can definitively say that's the tone/message of the film just from that trailer. And it would certainly be out of character for Alex Garland.

It certainly sounds like this based on Deadline’s write-up

I'm still going to give Garland the benefit of the doubt. His past comments and positions, particularly around Civil War, don't lead me to believe he's all of a sudden putting his name on American Sniper 2: Iraqi Boogaloo.

Mostly it looks like a gripping siege-style action movie ala Black Hawk Down and 13 Hours. I'm guessing it'll be very exciting, not explicitly political, but certainly impressed with the American military and its sense of duty and brotherhood among soldiers. It'll be very precise on the local, experiential level, but will make no attempt at a wider context.

I'll go see it.

I can't wait for the inevitable sequel Black Hawk Down Guys vs Warfare SEALS and Also That Sniper Dude Somewhere with 'Cat' Ballou in a Special Guest Appearance.

brundlefly wrote: Mon Dec 16, 2024 2:22 pm When Alex Garland said he was "not planning to direct again in the foreseeable future" all the way back in April, he didn't say he wasn't planning to co-direct. So: Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland's real-time Iraq war film Warfare (NSFW).

Deadline's brief review (no spoilers) absolutely ran this over the coals, and made it sound of a piece with Garland's other work (pejoratively). I can't remember the last time I paid any attention to one of their reviews, but I'm kind of shocked at how unkind they were unwilling to be to a director who has seen a lot of acclaim in the past. Most other published notices for the film are positive, too, so theirs particularly stands out.