Review by David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
It is the near future – or at least an alternate universe present-day – and the US is at war with itself. Multiple multi-state rebel factions have emerged in the midst of a third term Presidential dictatorship, with untold numbers of citizens dead. Hearing that the President may surrender in just under a few days, a group of journalists set out to interview him and hope they reach him before the warring factions do.
That is the dystopic elevator pitch for CIVIL WAR, the road trip movie from hell conceived by Writer/Director Alex Garland. He previously gifted filmgoers with Annihilation and the Oscar-winning Ex Machina, and trades in their nightmarish sci-fi/horror elements for a brutal war picture that plays out like an all too real documentary thriller. Coupled with Rob Hardy’s stark and bold Cinematography and Glenn Fremantle’s impeccable sound design (both frequent Garland collaborators), it makes for an overwhelming experience that is inherently controversial and graphically unsettling. It starts off with a literal explosion and then never lets up as this group of journalists march through the war-torn remains of the US countryside on their journey toward the White House. The discourse on social media is already proving to be a lightning rod for good and bad faith observations, and they will only get stronger once the film is released wide this weekend.
But Garland knew what he was getting into creating and releasing CIVIL WAR mere months before the real-life US Presidential Election this coming November. He does what he can to remain as neutral and unbiased as the journalists photographing and reporting on the utter chaos that has destroyed the country, never depicting one side as any more heroic than another. This deliberately apolitical stance works in some instances and feels frustratingly tone deaf in others (especially when the façades over the real-world allegories are translucent at best). It is no doubt what is triggering the divisive reactions to the film, alongside Garland’s inability to really say anything new beyond the typical “war is hell” and “nobody wins” messages that are the beating heart of every anti-war film.
That may sound like a pan, but I do not fault Garland for sidestepping picking a side and for not trying to preach an answer on how to avoid making CIVIL WAR a reality. There is no way he could have pleased everyone and by setting the pace of the Film at a hair below absolutely relentless, he does not really allow for much reflection, introspection or depth beyond the brief moments between each stop the journalists’ caravan makes. You are bound to be disappointed if you stop to think and unpack the madness you are witnessing, and you go against Garland’s primary intention of making a film that is an experience or more to the point, an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride.
All of this would be meaningless and rendered moot without the stellar Cast Garland has assembled here. While I wanted a bit more from the admittedly pretty great Wagner Moura and was constantly delighted by character actor Stephen McKinley Henderson (who gets the Film’s only real stand up and cheer moment), CIVIL WAR belongs to the powerhouse performances from Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny. They play the hardened war photographer and the ingénue respectively, and both turn in some of their best work to date. We learn precious few details about either character, instead learning everything from their wordless facial expressions and raw emotions – many of which are shot in extreme close-ups. We hang on their looks of horror and disgust, and feel the stressful tremors coursing through their bodies every time they survive another encounter that should have killed them. It would be difficult to suggest one being better than the other; they are the antithesis of each other and effortlessly carry the movie from beginning to end.
And yes, Jesse Plemons delivers in his extended pressure cooker of a scene. He drops in like a nuclear bomb decked out with an enormous rifle and the most ridiculously red sunglasses you have ever seen and leaves a wide swath of devastation in his wake. He is only in the one scene, but it is the most memorable of the Film by far and will leave you paralyzed with fear, entirely too frightened to take your eyes off him.
Controversy be damned, CIVIL WAR is a relentless experience that kept me on my toes and practically dry heaving. It is an assault on the senses that explodes out of the gate and stays with you right through the devastating end credits. I have some qualms and contentions with some elements, and understand entirely why the film is so divisive. Yet I cannot help but admire what Alex Garland has created and would definitely recommend everyone see it on the most immersive screen they can find. It is one of the best films of the year so far and I have a feeling we are going to be talking about it for many months to come.
Elevation Pictures releases CIVIL WAR in theatres on Friday, April 12, 2024.
Our Interview with Garland here.
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