In Alex Garland’s dystopian action-thriller Civil War, a group of photojournalists are pinned down in a game of cat and mouse between two sniper shooters. One of the journalists asks “What side are you fighting for?” to which the laser-focused soldier replies, “Someone is trying to kill us. We are trying to kill them”. This is nearly all the context we are given in this war-torn vision of modern day America. Civil War isn’t concerned with politics and ideologies, instead the focus is on the conflict itself and those involved, specifically the journalists risking their lives to tell the truth.
Alex Garland is a filmmaker that always provides thought-provoking, high concept ideas in his films, some stray more into the obscure and surreal than others, but Civil War could be his most grounded and relevant work to date. The story follows four photojournalists, travelling from New York to Washington DC, capturing the conflict and violence that has gripped America in Civil War. States are attempting to secede the Union, including a surprising collaboration between California and Texas, but their motives for doing so remain unclear. Meanwhile our four journalists are on a mission to interview the president before forces storm the capital.
The decision made by Garland to omit any political leaning or bias is ultimately a smart one. While many might go into Civil War looking for a smear piece on whoever they oppose politically, that isn’t the focus of the film and it’s better for it. If Garland were to lean either way politically with his film, that would only alienate large portions of its audience and become more divisive in the process. Garland instead aims for the ‘truth’ in it all, which ultimately lies in the violence and conflict.
The battle and skirmish scenes scattered throughout Civil War are where the film excels. From shootouts and firefights to intense and chilling hostage situations, Garland’s direction is at its peak when ‘s*** hits the fan’. Bullets boom with ear-piercing realism and the tactics of the infantry seem incredibly well realised. The battle scenes almost emulate a live-action Call of Duty: Modern Warfare scenario and it’s thrilling to watch.
The best scene in the film however revolves around Jesse Plemons’ cameo as a hostile soldier, that will have you gripping the seat. It’s within these scenes we see just how close to danger these journalists come on their ‘quest for the truth’ and how more seasoned characters, like Kirsten Dunst’s Lee, are affected by their experiences on the frontline.
The characters of Civil War are unfortunately where it begins to falter. There’s no bad performances, but the writing and character development comes across very rushed and shallow. While there are many quiet scenes between them (more than many might expect considering the heavy action emphasis in the marketing), most don’t stand out as being memorable or fully realised. Instead, relationships between veteran photographer Lee and Cailee Spaeny’s wide-eyed newcomer Jessie feel cliché and underdeveloped.
Civil War is an intense and intriguing perspective of a divided United States. Moments of cinematic brilliance are sprinkled throughout, featuring gripping combat, gorgeous cinematography and solid performances. However while Civil War avoids the political discourse, its message of ‘truth’ feels rather obvious in the hands of its poorly written protagonists.
