‘Civil War’ Review – Alex Garland’s Chilling Anti-War Film Explores The Horrors Of Extremist Violence

When Civil War was first announced, the film community let out a collective groan. Sure, we all are sensing that the world is on the verge of an actual civil war, but perhaps it was a bit too soon to begin manifesting it? Writer-director Alex Garland’s attachment certainly didn’t help matters. Despite garnering goodwill with projects such as Ex Machina and Devs, his prior project, Men, was as divisive as they come. His spine-chilling take on the horrors of masculinity had vocal detractors, particularly over its lack of metaphorical subtlety and shallow thematic exploration. This is not the kind of artist some would want philosophizing on the country’s urgently escalating state of decay.

Nonetheless, the project moved forward and, to nobody’s shock, Garland has delivered yet another contentious thriller, one that is leaving critics as divided as the world they live in. This is certainly intentional to some degree – Garland insists he made this film to provoke conversation and uses many provocative images in order to do so – but the film proves to be a far more revealing Rorschach test than even Garland could have designed.

Within the first 15 minutes of the film, it will become very clear who is and who isn’t willing to concede to Garland’s thought experiment. We learn that, in the not-too-distant future, nearly half of the previously “United” States have seceded into their own factions. The Loyalist States, consisting of the majority of the East Coast and Midwest, and the Western Forces, the combined legion of California and Texas, are leading the charge in a destructive civil war that is said to be culminating in a July 4th siege on the country’s capital. 

What led to this literal division of the country? What exactly are they fighting about? How did California and Texas pair up? Whatever contextual questions you have, Garland makes no effort to answer them, instead immediately grounding the story with a group of journalists journeying to cover the impending events at the capital. The group consists of veteran photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst), reporter Joel (Wagner Moura), seasoned journalist Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson), and newcomer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny). Their specific political leanings aren’t addressed; Lee and Jessie’s photos, captured using black and white freeze frames amidst the action, do all the talking.

Many will be quick to guffaw at Garland’s refusal to spoon-feed audiences with a contrived history lesson to explain how we got here. As mentioned before, we’re already on the path – Texas flirted with secession on a national stage in 2020 – so most of people’s complaints about plot holes are misguided. Garland instead chooses to build his world through the film’s road trip structure, revealing different pockets of the world’s devastation as the journalists traverse the country to get to D.C.. From lone gunmen to homeless communities, his vision of the country’s dystopia is harrowing in its closeness to our current reality. By leaving the context unexplained, Garland allows audiences to fill in the gaps with our own experience.

This is one of Garland’s many choices that won’t sit well with people looking to see the version of the story they have already decided is the truth. Despite our initial hesitations, this is not a film about right vs. left. Garland flirts with images and concepts that are co-opted by both parties, but there is no explicit politicization of the conflict. Some would view this as cowardly, but those with informed views of the vastness of the world’s conflict will quickly recognize this as a valuable ambiguity. Garland’s bipartisan approach to investigating extremism and its subsequent violence strips away biases and allows for the devastation to feel effective no matter where you stand.

This leads to the one thing people seem to agree on, that Civil War is a no-holds-barred technical achievement. Though cinematographer Rob Hardy did not shoot the film on IMAX cameras, its release on IMAX screens is warranted; countless shots feature staunchly American images captured with sweeping grandeur, only for that to be twisted into harrowing images of violence, the effect of which is exploded on a large-format screen. Immersive sound design by Glenn Freemantle keeps the film’s war sequences tightly gripping and literally bomb-bastic, meaning the film thrives with as many blasting speakers as possible. 

The film’s soundtrack also makes for a compelling piece of its tonal puzzle. Music supervisor Simon Astall collaborates with Garland to include infectious needle drops that add further friction and dissonance to images of deadly violence. Joel is titillated by scenes of war, eager to be within the chaos and to spread the news to the rest of the world. The music reflects this twisted delight, though Garland makes a strong argument that this should provoke looking inward; we should not be bumping to the beat as cold bodies hit the floor, yet here we are.

Garland’s narrative shortcomings appear toward the end of the film. Despite impressive work leading up to its climax, the final moments rush through what is major fallout for both the world of the story and the individual characters. Dunst, who gives an exceptional performance, isn’t given closure or clarity, nor is Moura, who feels like he has gotten his first live-action film role worth his tremendous talent. Spaney’s character winds up feeling the most defined, though too easily for what begins as a complex surrogate character for the audience. The young actress, still hot off a Volpi Cup win for her work in Priscilla, continues to prove she can carry tremendous dramatic weight and hold her own against seasoned actors. 

Though by no means perfect, Civil War sets out to present a very specific vision of the United States and appears to have done exactly what it set out to do. The fact some people are already expressing frustration with its political ambiguity proves it has poked the right bear. Many will not engage with images of violence until it can be blamed on someone else, but Garland knows that if a country called the “United States” is going down in flames, we’re all going down together. We all must engage without pretense, which he forces us to do with stunningly sharp imagery that wreaks havoc on the soul. One could argue Garland would have been wise to instill some hope in finding solidarity to save ourselves, even if false. However, it is his unparalleled commitment to crafting a great war film that makes for an even greater anti-war film.

Civil War will debut in theaters nationwide on April 12, 2024, courtesy of A24.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDyQxtg0V2w]