Civil War

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Nick Offerman, Jefferson White, Nelson Lee, Evan Lai, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, Jesse Plemons (uncredited)
Directed by: Alex Garland
Rating: R
Genre: Drama, Action, Thriller
2024

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A war photographer (Kirsten Dunst) and her colleagues see horrors as America descends into a second Civil War.

Review:

Tim: I'm a big fan of Alex Garland, so I was troubled by how flawed Men was. It wasn't good. Fortunately, Civil War is a return to form- not quite great, like Ex Machina or Annihilation, but a rousing action drama that throws top-level thrills at the audience. It's a well-made movie and should be celebrated.

2024 is the perfect time for a movie about a second American Civil War, as we may be heading for that, depending on how November's election turns out. It's hard to watch a movie like this, Americans fighting Americans, but there's more realism to this film than we'd like to admit. It's uncomfortable at times, because this possible future isn't far off.

I did love the idea of focusing this film on war photographers. These brave men and women have such a fascinating job- to risk their lives in conflict situations, to capture the reality in images for the world to see. That's an unexpected twist of this movie- to make a movie about another American Civil War, but not to focus on the soldiers or the overall conflict- to focus on the people embedded in the conflict, trying to do good journalism. That tells you a lot about this film- it's not a mindless action movie, but a thoughtful examination of war on the American continent. It feels much more like a warning than a thrill ride. Garland's films have always had depth to them, and the deeper themes he explores here really make the movie special.

The cast was excellent. Kirsten Dunst is an underrated actress and I loved her world-weary performance here. Her character of Lee is fantastic- she's courageous, tough, kind, weighed down by baggage. She's a woman who has seen too much, yet continues on regardless. It's one of the best performances I've ever seen from Dunst and it makes me lament that she doesn't get more acclaim. I loved her in this film. Wagner Moura was an interesting choice here- at first, I didn't really like his performance. It felt odd compared to the others. However, as the film progressed, I warmed up to his character and his portrayal. He added a different energy to the film, which was appreciated.

Cailee Spaeny was a highlight in this film, too. I've seen her in several films before and she never made much of an impression. However, I thought she was wonderful in Garland's miniseries, Devs and she gives another tremendous performance here. Many of my favorite moments of the film involve Spaeny and Dunst interacting. Seeing these two women get extensive screentime, discussing important topics, it was a dream come true. More movies need women interacting in ways like we saw here. Spaeny was terrific here. Garland also pulled in his collaborator, Nick Offerman, to play the U.S. President. It's a bit of a thankless role, but Offerman is memorable with his limited screentime. Yet another Devs alumn, Stephen McKinley Henderson plays a tremendous supporting role here. It's hard to describe how much I love seeing Henderson. He and Spaeny were excellent together in Devs, and he once again does yeoman's work here, making every single scene he's in better. It's a terrific performance. Sonoya Mizuno was awful in Devs, but she's slowly been changing my mind about her, based on her performance in House of the Dragon. She doesn't have a ton to do here, but she's solid. I also loved the uncredited performance of Jesse Plemons, who shows up for one of the film's wildest and most unforgettable sequences. Side note- Jefferson White was solid, too. I love how Garland grabbed some terrific television performers for his film here.

The movie itself is well made- Garland is a detailed and talented director. The film is well edited, the cinematography is great, visual effects all believable and compelling. The movie is really a drama first, but there's a lot of intensity and action sequences throughout. Some of the quiet moments are the best in the film. I loved when the characters took a breath and talked- that developed their characters and endeared them to us.

Maybe one complaint I have is that I'm not sure Garland delivered the "why" behind this movie clearly enough. We certainly grow to love these characters and feel real trepidation for their safety. But, what was Garland trying to say with his film? Is it just a warning of potential events to come? Is he just praising war photographers and reporters? Is it a meditation on violence and power? Was he trying to tell a thrilling story first and foremost? I felt like his best films had a clearer message, a compelling vision. This one just felt cloudier to me. That's not a fatal flaw, but it left me feeling a tiny bit uneasy. I think this is an exceptionally well made movie- nearly every director out there would have turned this into an action-first movie. Garland makes the quiet scenes more powerful than the loud ones. He definitely makes up for the lackluster Men and reminded me why he's one of the most compelling, fascinating directors working today. I'm a huge fan of Civil War and I just pray this stays very much in the realm of fiction.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Devs, Ex Machina, Annihilation, Midnight Special, Elizabethtown