Ray Mendoza, a former US Navy Seal turned Hollywood military adviser, has co-written and co-directed the film Warfare with Alex Garland. The movie tells the true story of an ill-fated surveillance mission in Ramadi province, Iraq, where Mendoza’s best friend, sniper Elliott Miller, was badly injured by al-Qaida insurgents.
Mendoza, 45, says he was hesitant to revisit the traumatic event but felt it necessary to share the story accurately. The film, described as “hyper-exacting realism,” opens in the UK on April 18 and has sparked debate about whether war films can be therapeutic.
To ensure the accuracy of the story, Mendoza and Garland conducted extensive interviews with the men involved and took a meticulous approach to storytelling. They also employed a three-week boot camp for the cast, pushing them to their limits to capture the intensity and chaos of the real-life experience.
Mendoza believes that Warfare does not aim to glorify conflict but rather provides an honest portrayal of the reality of war. The film’s soundscape is deliberately intense, with moments of silence creating an unsettling tension.
As a veteran, Mendoza acknowledges that revisiting the traumatic event was difficult but feels it has been therapeutic in its own way. He hopes to continue using his experience to create films that accurately represent the complexities of war and its impact on those who fight it.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2025/apr/13/ray-mendoza-warfare-alex-garland