WARFARE : Tuesday 29th April 2025.

I saw the MA15+ Rated 'WARFARE' this week, and this war action film is Written and Directed by Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland and is based on Mendoza's experiences during the Iraq War as a former US Navy SEAL. Alex Garland's prior feature film making credits take in his debut with 'Ex Machina' in 2014, then 'Annihilation' in 2018, 'Men' in 2022 and 'Civil War' most recently last year. The film saw its World Premiere showcasing in mid-March, was released in the USA in early April, here and in the UK from mid-April, has garnered generally favourable critical press and has so far grossed US$26M from a production budget of US$20M. In order to maintain historical accuracy, the film's material is exclusively taken from the testimonies of the platoon members, and is depicted in real time.

Here then, a platoon of Navy SEAL's embark on a dangerous surveillance mission in Ramadi, Iraq on 19th November. 2006. Under cover of the dead of night the platoon (call sign Alpha One) takes control of a house, and wakens a husband and wife and their two young children. They quickly learn from the family that the upper level is a separate apartment, that is blocked off by a brick wall which they breach to access it. 

JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller) communications officer Ray Mendoza (D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) coordinates air support to monitor their position while sniper and medic Elliott Miller (Cosmo Jarvis) monitors the various locals comings and goings at a market across the street, through the telescopic sight on his sniper rifle. They are performing overwatch duties in support of a US Marines operation.

Translators Farid (Nathan Altai) and Noor (Donya Hussen) learn from the family that there is another family living upstairs. They instruct them all to remain silent and in place. Ray and Elliott observe increased activity across the street. ANGLICO (Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company) LT McDonald (Michael Gandolfini) radios for air assets while the translators advise that the enemy has broadcast a call to arms. Leading Officer in Charge Erik (Will Poulter) instructs the translators to guard the upstairs part of the building. A grenade is thrown into the sniper's room injuring Elliott's hand. A CASEVAC (Casualty Evacuation) is called to evacuate him. In preparation, the team gathers their weapons and blow Claymore mines off the top floor balcony to create a distraction. As the Bradley (Fighting Vehicle) arrives to collect Elliott, and undercover of a smoke screen, an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) explodes close by killing a translator and further wounding Elliott and Leading Petty Officer Sam (Joseph Quinn). The Bradley departs the scene of the carnage.

Having gradually come round dazed and confused by what has just moments ago transpired, the Alpha One unit retreats and regroups in the house while tending to Sam's shredded legs. Erik calls team Alpha Two to collapse into their position, but they are held up by firefights further down the street. Air support returns but due to opposing fire McDonald can only coordinate a show of force (intended to warn or to intimidate an opponent by showcasing a capability or will to act if one is provoked) by a low level jet fighter. Ray determines Sam requires a tourniquet but is unable to apply it due to his quivering hands, and so instead packs the wound with gauze and places his knee on Sam's wound, increasing Sam's agony. Ray dissociates, and so Erik takes over and applies the tourniquet. Elliott regains consciousness and screams in pain as McDonald tends to his injuries. Elliott, through his pain directs McDonald to the morphine in his bag which McDonald then administers to him and Sam, giving them some relief only.

Alpha Two make it into Alpha One's building. Their request for medical evacuation is denied for fear of another IED attack. Alpha Two leader Jake (Charles Melton) orders his communications officer, John (Finn Bennett), to impersonate the army commanding officer to approve their evacuation. Jake retrieves gear from the street before Elliott and Sam are hurriedly loaded into the two Bradleys. The team returns to the house. Believing insurgents may have infiltrated the second floor from the roof, Jake orders two other Bradleys to take out the top deck of their building. Under cover of another show of force, the Alpha One and Alpha Two men are extracted by the Bradleys and leave the neighbourhood under heavy small arms fire. The families in the house slowly emerge from their rooms and survey what remains of their home, realising the soldiers have left. The surviving insurgents cautiously gather in the street when the dust has settled and study the bloodied dismembered remains of what is left of the Iraqi translator. 

Based on a true story of the fairly recent past and told with all the chaos and brotherhood of war retold through their memories of the event, the team of Alpha One together with joint Directors Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland have crafted an immersive, visceral and realistic retelling of the physical and emotional toll of modern warfare. The performances from the principle cast are all top notch and each one played with conviction and determination to do justice to the men who served on that fateful mission, the sound design is near perfect, and the real time film making serves to add urgency and tension to an already fraught situation. This no-holds barred, intense and authentic cinematic experience is best seen on the big screen and easily stands up there with Scott's 'Black Hawk Down', Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan' and Berger's 'All Quiet on the Western Front' as a must see film of the futility of war. My only gripe of this film is that there is zero backstory to Alpha One's platoon members, but I'm guessing that this was intentional on the part of the Co-Director's, who didn't want to get bogged down by leaning in to the history of the individuals, rather concentrating on the here and now and let the intense action, the emotion and the physicality of the rapidly unfolding situation do the talking. 

'Warfare' merits four claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a possible five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3 : Tuesday 9th May 2023.

I saw the M Rated 'GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOLUME 3' at my local Odeon earlier this week. This hotly anticipated American superhero film is based on the Marvel Comics superhero team Guardians of the Galaxy, and is the sequel to 2014's 'Guardians of the Galaxy' and 2017's 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2' and serves as the 32nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the second film in Marvel's Phase Five and more than likely the final instalment in this particular series. Written and Directed once again by James Gunn who recently jumped ship and now heads up, with Peter Safran, DC Studios as Co-Chairpersons and joint CEO's. Gunn's next Directorial outing is slated to be 'Superman : Legacy' due in July 2025. The film saw its World Premier screening at Disneyland, Paris on 22nd April and was released in the US, China, here in Australia and other territories last week. It has garnered generally positive critical reviews and has so far grossed US$366M off the back of a production budget of US$250M. 

At their new home base on Knowhere, the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel) are attacked by Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), a Sovereign warrior created by their High Priestess Ayesha (Elizabeth Debicki) who seems to answer to the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). After Adam overpowers them and seriously wounds Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), he is stabbed by Nebula (Karen Gillan) and forced to flee the scene. The Guardians are unable to tend to Rocket's wounds due to a kill switch attached to his heart, made by the company Orgocorp. They travel to Orgocorp's headquarters to find the override code, having at best 48 hours before Rocket dies. 

As Rocket lies unconscious, memories of his past life come flooding back. As a baby raccoon, he was experimented on by the High Evolutionary, an alien geneticist who sought to take what he viewed as lower life forms and enhance them into a perfect anthropomorphic species in order to create a Counter-Earth. 

After being modified Rocket befriended the High Evolutionary's other test animals: the otter Lylla, the rabbit Floor and the walrus Teefs. The High Evolutionary perfected the anthropomorphisation process with Rocket's advice but ordered Rocket's brain to be extracted for further research, and his friends incinerated. Rocket was able to free Lylla with an improvised electronic key card, only for the High Evolutionary to kill her, upon walking in and discovering Rocket's ruse. Rocket, enraged, mauled the High Evolutionary face and head and shot his guards, but Teefs and Floor were killed in the exchange of gunfire. Alone, angry and despondent Rocket steals a spaceship and flees. 

Meanwhile, the alternate version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) who has joined the Ravagers led by the high ranking Stakar Ogord (Sylvester Stallone), helps the Guardians infiltrate Orgocorp, which is owned by the High Evolutionary. 

They retrieve Rocket's file, but discover that the code has been removed. The group speculates that Theel (Nico Santos), one of the High Evolutionary's advisors, has it, so they depart for Counter-Earth. They are followed by Ayesha and Adam, who are ordered by their creator, the High Evolutionary, to capture at all costs Rocket for his brain.

Arriving on Counter-Earth the Guardians are helped by a family of local residents in tracing Theel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) remain with Gamora and Rocket as Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), and Nebula (Karen Gillan) travel to the High Evolutionary's ship. Nebula is forced to wait outside by guards as Quill and Groot board. Drax and Mantis chase after Quill's group. 

The High Evolutionary sets off the destruction and planned recreation of Counter-Earth, which ultimately kills all life on the planet, including Ayesha. As his ship enters orbit, Quill and Groot leap off with Theel, landing back on Counter-Earth and retrieving the code from the computer implanted into the side of his head, just as Gamora arrives with their ship. In the meantime, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax board the High Evolutionary's ship in order to rescue Quill and Groot, not knowing that had recently and literally jumped ship. As Quill's group attempts to access the code, Rocket flatlines and has a near-death experience, where he is reunited with Lylla, Teefs, and Floor. Lylla tells him that his time has not yet come and that he still has work to do, as Quill uses the code to disable the kill switch and save Rocket's life. 

On the High Evolutionary's ship, Nebula, Mantis, and Drax come across hundreds of imprisoned humanoid children, before being captured. Quill's group sets out to rescue the three, who are placed in a chamber with monstrous Abilisks. Mantis connects with the Abilisks saying they only eat batteries, and so allowing the group to escape and reunite with Quill's group, together overcoming the High Evolutionary's army. Kraglin (Sean Gunn) and Cosmo the Spacedog (voiced by Maria Bakalova) arrive back on Knowhere, and Cosmo creates a telekinetic bridge connecting Knowhere to the High Evolutionary's ship to free the captured children. Rocket discovers imprisoned animals on the ship before being attacked by the High Evolutionary, but the rest of the Guardians help subdue him, remove his mask revealing the seriously disfigured face of the man and leaving him to die on his ship. The Guardians rescue the animals and lead them aboard Knowhere. Quill nearly dies by freezing in deep space trying to cross over but is saved by Adam, who had a change of heart after being saved by Groot. 

Once the dust has settled, Quill announces that he intends to leave the Guardians, bestowing the captaincy to Rocket before leaving for Earth to reunite with his grandfather Jason. Mantis embarks on a journey of self-discovery with the Abilisks, Gamora reunites with the Ravagers and is welcomed back by Stakar Ogord, and Nebula and Drax remain on Knowhere to raise the saved children. 

There is no doubt that Director James Gunn has wrapped up his final instalment of the 'Guardians' trilogy with a lot of heart, a good dose of emotion, action set pieces aplenty, some witty dialogue, a thumping soundtrack, all the colour and grandeur of the galaxy that you could ever imagine, plus a whole zoo load of animals that would make any self respecting PETA advocate squirm in horror. And for the rag tag bunch of space heroes Gunn sees them all go off in their own directions to seek out new challenges and adventures, and as for some of them if you remain in your seat for a mid-credits sequence and right until the end credits have rolled you'll catch a glimpse of what the future (possibly) holds. My only criticism of this film, and it seems that thirty-two films in now, of the MCU at large, is that the CGI action spectacles are often so beautifully rendered that their screen busyness leaves the viewer wondering where to focus the attention for fear of missing out on something happening on another part of the screen. 

'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' warrants three claps of the Odeon Online clapperboard from a potential five claps.

-Steve, at Odeon Online-

THE REVENANT : Tuesday 26th January 2016.

I finally got around to see the much talked about 'THE REVENANT' earlier this week, and was not disappointed given the attention that this film has so far garnered. Directed by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Produced and Written for the screen by him too and based loosely on the book of the same name by Michael Punke, this is an epic early Western film the like of which we have not seen before. Filmed in some of the wildest country known to man across Canada, the USA and Argentina with a budget that started off at US$60M that rose to US$95M and ended at US$135M and certainly not without its location, weather, crew and filming challenges. But for all of that Inarritu's has delivered a master stroke of film making using inhospitable but beautiful locations, expertly shot by lensman Emmanuel Lubezki using mostly only natural light, and delivering two outstanding performances from the lead actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy especially. Released on 25th December in time to qualify for the upcoming Academy Awards, the film has so far grossed US$225M and has secured twelve Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Lead Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best Directing, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Production, Costume, Make-Up & Hair, Sound Mixing and Editing and Visual Effects. Similarly it is up for eight BAFTA Awards and it walked away with three Golden Globe wins for Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Actor.

And so to the story. Set in the early 1820's and based on the experiences of expert fur trapper and frontiersman Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) who in the harsh lands of Montana and South Dakota lead a group of men to secure prized animal pelts for sale at a high price. Hunting in the harshest of lands Glass and his men, that include John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy); Andrew Henry (Domhnall Gleeson) as Captain of the hunting party; Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) as a younger trapper; and Hawk (Forrest Goodluck) as Glass' young adult half-Indian son; must battle the toughest terrain, not to be trusted French soldiers, not to be trusted work colleagues, blood thirsty native Indians, ever changing weather conditions, and fierce animals that can either hunt or be hunted. Definitely not for the faint hearted, and Inarritu and Lubezki capture this beautiful, bleak and foreboding landscape and all its dangers with a deft touch that is richly rewarding, technically brilliant and totally consuming.

Early on when the hunting party are unexpectedly and savagely attacked by Arikara Indians, the trappers flee by boat but not before many deaths, and the loss of many pelts. With what's left they abandon the boat downstream to hide the remaining valuable pelts for fear of further attacks, and with less to carry over the mountains on foot their journey back to Fort Kiowa will be easier and faster. With only ten men left now out of an original group of 40+, the men make camp for the night. Waking early the next morning Glass wanders off into the woods alone and is mauled by a fully grown grizzly bear protecting its cubs. Not once, but twice, in a scene that is so raw and savage that it will have you on the edge of you seat as you contort and grimace as every bone crunching, flesh shredding, blood letting frame that leaves Glass alive . . . but only just!

Unable to speak, stand, and barely move with his life seemingly ebbing away he is recovered by the remaining group who commit to get Glass back to the fort and so rig up a makeshift stretcher. Fitzgerald though believes that Glass is so close to death that they should end his pain & suffering there, but he is over ruled by the others and Henry who offers up a cash reward for those that stay behind until Glass perishes and then bury him properly. With cash on offer Fitzgerald and Bridger offer to stay behind, accompanied by Glass' dutiful son, Hawk.

Ultimately what unfolds is that Fitzgerald kills Hawk whilst Bridger is out of sight, and this is witnessed by Glass who is powerless to do anything about it. Believing that Glass is near death, Fitzgerald convinces Bridger that Hawk has succumbed to an Indian attack and that they should leave Glass behind and return to the Fort, tell Henry they did the right thing by Glass and claim their cash reward. And so they do, turning their back on Glass who is dragged into a shallow ditch despite his life threatening injuries and covered with damp soil . . . to die!

The film plays out with Fitzgerald and Bridger making their way on foot across the harsh Winter terrain back to Fort Kiowa, as Glass hauls himself out of his shallow grave and drags himself to safety for fear of further Indian attacks. As time progresses Glass does recover slowly but surely, and with a dogged determination to exact out his revenge on Fitzgerald. Hungry, thirsty, nursing open wounds and unable to walk Winter is closing in as he reaches a river, and to escape Indians on his trail he floats down the rapids to safety for the time being. He encounters danger and hostile conditions almost every step of the way but as the weeks pass his health begins to improve, he can stand on two feet, but his wounds are still gaping. He crosses paths with a friendly Pawnee Indian who shares a recently killed bison with him and they travel together with the Pawnee helping nurse Glass back to health as best as he can and provide shelter from the worsening Winter weather.

Glass must endure further hardships and set backs at the hands of French soldiers, marauding Arikara Indians again, and freezing temperatures as he continues his journey south. By now Fitzgerald and Bridger have arrived at Fort Kiowa, spin their story to Henry and take their cash reward. As more weeks pass Glass continues south on foot having lost his horse in a spectacular cliff fall that leaves the horse dead, but still with purpose for Glass who needs to find shelter and warmth from the bitter cold and snow storm closing in.

In time Glass makes it on foot to the Fort and so the truth will out . . . by which time Fitzgerald has made off with his money and that held in the Fort's strong box, and now believed to be heading to Texas to enlist. Glass and Henry give chase and it all comes to an end in a bitter hand to hand fight down beside a snow covered riverbank.

DiCaprio immerses himself in the role and plays his character with such conviction that if  he doesn't win the Best Actor Oscar at the upcoming Awards then he should give up his chosen career for something less challenging and demanding. You can tell that he put his heart and soul into the Hugh Glass character, and what he doesn't say on screen but what he portrays through his actions, mannerisms, pain, fear and emotion speak volumes louder. Tom Hardy is also thoroughly believable as the villain in the piece and is deserving too of his Supporting Actor nomination. All credit though must go to Alejando Gonzalez Inarritu for his vision for this story, the deeply committed performances he pulled out of his cast, the richness of the cinematography, and the rugged landscapes he used as the backdrop to this film despite the challenges endured by all, and the escalating budget.

Intense, uncompromising, raw, and beautiful, this is one of the best films of the year without doubt. Do yourself a favour and see it on the big screen and immerse yourself for 150 minutes in an accomplished piece of filmmaking on almost every level. For me the writing is already on the wall at the Academy Awards!

 

-Steve, at Odeon Online-