Civil War review (2024)

Civil War is a staggering and frequently brilliant film looking at a hopefully just fictionalized version of America destroying itself from within.

Director/writer Alex Garland (Ex Machina) is a thoughtful and skilled filmmaker who has a clear vision of what he wants to accomplish with his films. Rarely does he miss that mark and Civil War is another

In some imaginary future, America has been under the thumb of a fascist style president (Nick Offerman) who has disbanded the FBI, ended term limits to keep himself in office for a third term and authorized deadly strikes against American citizens. Now Americans are fighting back.

Garland eschews party lines for the sake of what’s best for the country as the opposing army against the president is the Western Forces, an alliance led by unlikely partners in California and Texas.

The Florida Alliance also opposes the president and aligns with the Western Forces despite their less-than-ideal geography from each other in this conflict. The two armies battle The Loyalist States, who fight on behalf of the president’s rule — hence the Civil War tag. Offerman doesn’t invite any comparisons to any recent presidents and there’s no telltale blue or red in his attire.

Covering this action for the American people are various pools of journalists. Among them are acclaimed war photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirstin Dunst), her friend Joel (Wagner Moura, Narcos), a Reuters reporter and Lee’s mentor Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson, Lady Bird), a longtime New York Times journalist. They’ve covered the not so United States burn, and all the atrocities committed by both sides in the name of war.

During one skirmish, Lee encounters a young photojournalist Jessie (Cailee Spaeney, Alien: Romulus), who hopes to make as big a mark on war photojournalism as Lee. Provided she can stay alive long enough. Dunst exhibits tremendous world-weariness in watching this conflict play out to the point she can’t rest comfortably in her hotel room without having visions of some of the horrors she’s seen on the battlefield.

Word is out that the Western Forces are making their final stretch onto Washington to finally take down the president. Lee and her colleagues want to be as close to the frontlines as possible to be among the first to cover it.

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Settling in for a long road trip, the four travel north while keeping a diligent eye out for any potential worthwhile stories along the way. Or dangers to be avoided.

Garland finds a good balance of creating heartfelt emotional beats as the foursome bond and genuinely disturbing moments of the war unfolding in front of them. Dunst is excellent at conveying Lee’s headspace in lieu of dialogue. Whether from a glance at Jessie suggesting a wistful envy of the aspiring photojournalist’s naive demeanor untainted by the evil of men. Or the emotionless, focused determination to cover a story without being part of the story. This is some of Dunst’s finest work.

Moura also has plenty of strong showcase moments as the reporter who has an easier time compartmentalizing the war. After an intense shootout, Joel can kick back and have some laughs with soldiers. McKinley Henderson provides the sage voice of wisdom while Spaeny gives Jessie an unintentionally reckless/curious nature that puts herself at risk constantly.

Garland’s script avoids making the four simplified, idealistic personalities. We get less than two hours with this crew, but Garland wisely spends enough time cultivating the characters that they sound and act like real journalists instead of action heroes.

The closer the foursome get to Washington, the more dangers they encounter including a shocking scene with a deranged racist nationalist (Jesse Plemons making a serious bid for the year’s best one scene cameo). Garland works in a solid supporting role for his frequent onscreen collaborator Sonoya Mizuno, who this time appears as a TV journalist.

Civil War features some breathtaking visuals from director of photography Rob Hardy (Mission – Impossible: Fallout) whether the gunfire exchanges in an otherwise blackened skyline, booming explosions and the use of colors such as the Christmas theme attraction.

Garland properly staged the action sequences to make the final — the storming of the White House — one of 2024’s best. This is the moment Garland was building up throughout Civil War and he gives it a tangible sense of danger, providing viewers with a sense of being in the middle of the fray as the bullets and explosions rain through the battlefield.

Character choices in the final act become somewhat frustrating but the ending feels earned. Civil War emerges as one of the more captivating and worthwhile films of 2024.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Photo Credit: A24

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