The Unlikely Rom-Com That Inspired Warfare's Director
Many war films, no matter the location, the feats of heroism, or the bonds that are made amidst the bloodshed, end up being reminiscent of others in the process. You'd be forgiven, then, for making those comparisons before going into "Warfare," the new film from co-directors Alex Garland and former U.S. Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza, whose personal experiences are the basis of the movie which, through its nightmarish depiction of its subject matter redefines what makes a war movie in the process. What might come as a surprise, however, is that amidst the chaos and barbarity unfolding around Will Poulter, Cosmo Jarvis, Joseph Quinn, and "Daredevil: Born Again's" Michael Gandolfini, inspiration was found in a 1998 Gwyneth Paltrow-starring rom-com.
Mendoza spoke to /Film about "Warfare," explaining that the film doesn't try to be a pro or anti-war story but a frenetic account of events and the fallout of each in a story based on memory, which led the director to reach an interesting comparison. "That was my driving goal and why I was so meticulous or we were so meticulous casting all the memories and really, how did you feel at this exact moment? When did you feel like you came out of this flight state of mind into the fight state of mind, and when did that happen?" Mendoza revealed. "So all those each, they're micro arcs, but they do exist. And I think for the film, I don't just watch war films. There's a film I could name that you'll be probably shocked. It's called 'Sliding Doors.'"
Ray Mendoza wanted to make his own Sliding Doors with Warfare
For those that might have missed the Peter Howitt-directed film, "Sliding Doors" followed Paltrow as a struggling Londoner whose simple act of missing a train splits the film into two different storylines, depicting how things could've gone if she'd made it through the carriage doors or not. For Mendoza, it's a film he revisited during the creation of "Warfare," which itself highlights how the smallest decision can have a knock-on effect not just in hours but minutes or seconds through the harrowing storyline he's brought to the screen.
"That movie has resonated with me with any other movie ever. And so I go to movies if I want to laugh, if I want to cry, if I want to be inspired, it is an experience, right? Life's a series of moments," says the co-director. "I don't remember every day of all my deployments. I only remember significant ones, and this is a significant event in my life, it's my experience, and I want to share that. And if you want to watch it and you want to experience something else, then I invite you to do that and learn something."