CIVIL WAR (2024) Review

Review

Switching on the news on any given day we’re met with war on multiple fronts. Global warming. Civil unrest. Not to mention the looming general election here in the UK and the rapidly approaching presidential elections in the US. So sitting down to watch writer/director Alex Garland’s Civil War feels less like a theatrical experience and most like a speculative documentary on the future of America.

Whether intentionally or not Garland’s dystopian war story plays directly in to societal anxiety. To watch the film is to experience first hand the pain of a country torn apart by indifference and conflict. It’s a panic inducing experience which refuses to loosen its grasp on the audience for the entire 109 minute runtime. But one also can’t help but wonder upon leaving the cinema, whether the film could have benefitted from further context behind America’s plight.

The film begins by introducing us to President Nick Offerman, unnamed in the script. As he steadies himself ahead of a televised address we’re left to decide whether victory is truly in his grasp or if he is simply trying to convince himself in the words he aims to speak tot he American people. In this brief moment we learn that a secessionist Western Forces campaign led by California and Texas has taken hold against the rest of the country. Tearing apart the very heart of the once great nation.

Watching from a New York hotel room is war photographer Lee (Kirsten Dunst). Along with her journalist partner Joel (Wagner Moura), Lee plans to travel to Washington to interview the president. From where she is sitting it seems the Western Forces are on the verge of victory and she wants the final photo of the President before he’s jailed or more likely executed for… whatever it is that he’s done. Herein lies my main bug bear with Civil War. Whilst the conflict itself is distressing to bear witness to. The lack of insight as to what triggered an all out war hampers the overall success of the narrative.

The story doesn’t need a lengthy blow-by-blow account of everything which led up to this moment. The journey of Lee, Joel and their companions, the older Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) and wannabe Lee super fan Jessie (Cailee Spaeny), is more than enough to grip the audience in the moment. But upon reflect it’s hard not to ponder and become fixated on the missing pieces in the puzzle.

The groups journey takes them to several key touch points across the country. Each stop is designs to illustrate a different viewpoint on the war. There’s the town which barely acknowledges that conflict exists. The dreadfully racist, right wing middle-Americans (one of whom is played by Dunst’s real life husband Jesse Plemons) and plenty of staunch true-believing soldiers along the way. Of course the film wears its January 6, 2021 riot influences on its sleeve. It’s near impossible not to imagine Nick Offerman’s president as a Trump-like figure who has incited violence to point of near-apocalyptic destruction. But these touch points remain key to showing how different parts of America have reacted.

But Civil War can also surprise you. The central performance from Dunst is hair-raising. At first the beaten down journalist appears cold and disconnected. Dunst imbues Lee with a cold streak which perfectly analogises the experiences of journalists who have lived through multiple conflicts, surviving only by their sheer luck and pragmatism. On the opposite end of the scale is Jessie. Spaeny is equally as compelling to watch as Dunst. The two travel in opposite directions in a fascinating example of trading placing. Garland forces the audience to ponder our own morality as we cheer for Lee, rediscovering a faith in humanity that she had long since forgotten. But concurrently Jessie gains the strength and courage to become the person Lee had been at the beginning of the film. Is it right to cheer as someone loses their humanity only for it to be replaced by a drive to document the moment at all costs? It’s up to each of us to decide.

I had the chance to see Civil War in IMAX and highly recommend that you do the same. Rob Hardy’s cinematography brings images direct from TV newsfeeds to the big screen. Sights that much of the Western audience would say we see from conflict in the Middle East is suddenly happening outside Target and other recognisable corporate names synonymous with America. It’s a simple setup, taking stark images of war and placing them in familiar surroundings. It’s not even breaking new ground. But given the circumstances in Garland’s script and the incredible performances by the actors. It becomes one of the most affecting films of the past decade.

Verdict

Civil War is tense, provocative and stressful to watch. Its uncensored approach to depicting the savagery of war is deeply unsettling when framed as being so close to home. But a lack of context does take away from its impact.

⭐⭐⭐⭐