From Jeff Nelson

Alex Garland’s Civil War strives to remain apolitical within the inherently political topic of the United States’ division. Rather, he tackles the relationship between the American public and violence in the media. The result is a film that engages the audience with its intense war sequences while failing to stimulate on the deeper level that the topic calls for. Civil War is a thrill ride that operates well enough on the surface.

War-embedded journalists Lee (Kirsten Dunst) and Joel (Wagner Moura) plan the riskiest trip of their lives from New York to Washington DC in a dystopian American future. Aspiring war photographer Jessie (Cailee Spaeny) and veteran journalist Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) join them on their journey to reach the White House for an interview with the president (Nick Offerman) before the rebel factions arrive.

Garland leaves the details surrounding the Civil War ambiguous, uniting California and Texas in an attempt to distance itself from the American reality. News broadcasts and casual conversations reveal the “Antifa massacre” and the president’s decision to disband the FBI, but it all oddly exists in a vacuum. Civil War dangles false history out of context, centering this narrative in morally ambiguous war journalists to rationalize sidelining righteousness. Despite Garland’s best efforts, it’s rather clear which side is “good” and which side is “evil,” pitting common decency against the film as a whole.

Beyond Civil War’s identity crisis, the more personal story between the journalists is more captivating in what is otherwise a road trip movie. Lee is hardened by this world of carnage, forced to disassociate from it to cope. Jessie’s presence awakens a warmer side of Lee, which simultaneously emerges in her interactions with Sammy. Meanwhile, Joel provides Jessie with the softest nurturing of the bunch, establishing a web of connections we come to cherish. 

The group encounters increasingly dangerous moments of violence throughout their journey. They rush in to capture the truth, dodging bullets whizzing over their heads. Civil War keeps you on the edge of your seat, building to a shell-shocking third act full of gunfire and explosions. Rob Hardy’s cinematography and the immersive sound design tip the film over the edge, concocting a moviegoing experience guaranteed to get your heart racing.

A group of stellar performances sells a sense of urgency. Dunst plays Lee with the necessary grit required for the part, but she allows the character’s soft center to come through. Moura’s Joel and Spaeny’s Jessie are equally sincere in their portrayal, but Henderson’s Sammy truly shines above the rest. Meanwhile, Offerman and Jesse Plemons have small parts as the president and a soldier, respectively, but they make a lot out of their short screen time.

Civil War lacks the intellectual brawn of Garland’s prior works, but it pulsates with an impressive caliber of suspense. The film positions itself within unbiased photojournalists who only capture the images for others to ask questions, yet Garland clearly doesn’t intend the audience to stand in as the “other,” in this case. The film touches on violence in media and war’s cyclical nature, none of which really comes together cohesively. Nonetheless, the character dynamics and armrest-clenching suspense are enough to make this a film worth checking out.

Rating: 3/5

Civil War comes to theaters on April 12th, 2024.

Follow Jeff