Civil War

UK Release Date. 12 April 2024
Certification. 15
Running Time. 1 hour 49 mins
Director. Alex Garland
Cast. Kirsten Dunst, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Wagner Moura, Jesse Plemons, Cailee Spaeny. 
Rating. 80%

Review.

Civil War wasn't the film I expected. But I'm pleased to say that it represents a welcome return to form for writer and director, Alex Garland after the impenetrable Men. 

The film is set in what appears to be the present, albeit an alternate dystopian present, where the United States has collapsed and fractured into multiple, aggressive and politically motivated factions. Operating under a two-star flag, the Western Forces (a coalition between California and Texas) and the Florida Alliance close in on Washington, D.C. and a dictatorial President (Nick Offerman), who is steadfastly refusing to relinquish power and intent on an unconstitutional third term in office. As an audience, we're never told what the conflict is about. Garland's script is deliberately vague. The reasons for the conflict are almost immaterial compared to the conflict itself. 

Unusually, the focus is not on the soldiers on the front lines. Civil War centres on the journalists documenting the conflict; in particular, Lee (Kirsten Dunst), Joel (Wagner Moura), Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), an intrepid band of reporters intent on making a treacherous drive from New York City to Washington, D.C., to secure an exclusive interview with the beleaguered President. Apparently desensitised to the violence, the journalists gather in the hotel bar while atrocities take place in the adjacent streets, much like the photojournalism films of the 1980s, the likes of The Year Of Living Dangerously, Under Fire, The Killing Fields and Salvador. Garland would appear fascinated by the concept of how journalists remain objective in their work and retain their humanity in the face of inhumanity. 

As the film opens, America's second civil war appears to be at an advanced stage, with battlegrounds apparently commonplace from sea to shining sea. Garland's diabolically clever premise revels the idea of the United States as a battlefield. His delivery is utterly convincing and politically astute. Unlike Independence Day or Olympus Has Fallen, The White House isn't under attack. What's being incinerated here is the constitution model itself - the united States.

Strong performances, particularly from Kirsten Dunst are complemented by breathtaking visuals. Civil War is a gorgeously made film; Rob Hardy's cinematography mixes chilling realism with graceful, haunting beauty, backed up by some ridiculously well-staged, heart-in-mouth set-pieces. 

At a time when real-life hostilities around the world are far too frequent, Garland vividly imagines a United States divided by conflict. An almost cautionary tale that turns familiar peacetime settings, such as New York City and Washington, D.C. into apocalyptic war zones. Civil War never lets up. Gripping and ghoulishly compelling. A film full of shock and awe.