“I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. And I’ve never felt more alive.”
Civil War paints quite the picture and is likely to leave a lasting impression. I know it did with me. Despite awareness of the film’s premise, I didn’t know what to expect from the film written and directed by Alex Garland, the filmmaker responsible for films like 28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, and Ex Machina. I suppose given his storied career in the dystopian film genre, I expected that this film would follow suit. However, while the film does fit comfortably in that genre, it also had the makings of a cautionary tale. The film, which follows a team of journalists who travel across the United States during a rapidly escalating second American civil war which has engulfed the entire nation was an intense and engaging experience that is not easily forgotten. Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Stephen McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny serve as our journalist team, and each and every one of them shine as they embark on this rollercoaster journey that leaves it mark on each character.
In a not-so-distant future, a rapidly escalating multiparty civil war has engulfed the United States, transforming the country into a dystopian dictatorship under its president (Nick Offerman), who is serving his third term. Renowned and hardened photojournalist Lee Smith (Dunst) finds herself taking a younger photographer named Jessie under her tutelage and rescues her from a bombing in New York City. Jesse, an aspiring war photojournalist, idolizes Lee, and hitches herself to Lee’s latest assignment: she and her colleague, Joel (Moura) wish to travel to Washington, D.C. to exclusively interview the President. The group is also joined by veteran reporter Sammy (McKinley Henderson), who despite initially trying to dissuade the group that the trip is highly dangerous, as the President as become a recluse and previous reporters have died attempting while attempting to get to him. Undeterred and struggling with an existential crisis, neither Lee nor Joel can be deterred.
Along the journey, Lee, Joel, and Sammy guide Jesse in the field as she experiences front-line combat for the first time, capturing urban warfare between the U.S. military and the resistant militias. Despite being veterans, Lee, Joel, and Sammy are also not immune to the harshness and the traumatic experiences that accompany wartime journalism. Additionally, each member finds themselves in mortal danger on more than occasion as they travel through a divided country that offers treacherous and perilous situations around every corner.
What I really enjoyed about Civil War is its scope, which focused on the intensity and the traumatic affect of the journey on the group, rather than the larger politics of the civil war. It gave the film originality. Additionally, keeping it on a more personal level allowed for the depiction of how quickly and easily the moral lines can be crossed under the banner of the banner of the “fog of war.” This is where Jesse Plemmons’ character comes into play. Initially and prior to his appearance in the film’s first trailer, I was not tracking his involvement in the project. In fact, Plemmons went so far as to deny his involvement in the project when questioned. As shown by the question posed by his character in the trailer (“What kind of American are you?”), it is evident that his character is of dubious morality. Despite the character being dislikable, the menace Plemmons imbued him with with made the scene all the more intense and heart-pounding.
The film does use the familiar mentor/mentee trope in regard to the relationship between Dunst’s Lee and Spaeny’s Jesse. However, even so, the relationship between the two carries the plot forward, and provides the perfect vehicle for both character’s development: with Jesse beginning to come into her own, while Lee is forced to face the long-buried demons of her chosen profession. Expectingly, this trope can only really have one natural conclusion, which is foreshadowed earlier on with a question that Jesse asks Lee when they are alone. You’ll know it when you see it.
Touching back on the fog of war, I enjoyed how the film did not shy away from the depictions of the harshness of war, such as showing summary executions. Moreover, Moura’s Joel’s conversation with a spotter-sniper team (entertainingly played by Karl Glusman and Jin Ha respectively) as the pair nonchalantly explain their simplified philosophy in regards to the war is easily my favorite scene. It showcases that the farther you are from the politics of a situation, the more easily the battle lines can blur.
If you are looking for action, the film has it in spades, but the best instance of it comes at the films climax with the storming of the nation’s capital. With an intense firefight, explosions, and predictable final words, Civil War gives you a proper sendoff that I in no way saw coming. Of all the ways I saw the film concluding, that way didn’t even enter my imagination, thereby adding to the film’s appeal with its ability to take the audience by surprise.
