Stunning dystopian vision resonates more by the day
Civil War (R16, 109 mins) Directed by Alex Garland Reviewed by James Croot *****
Every time US news photographer Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst) survived an international war zone and got the photo, she thought she was sending a warning home.
And yet, here we are.
Texas and California have ceded from the union, as the President (Nick Offerman) has embarked on his unprecedented third term in office, disbanded the FBI and ordered air strikes against his insurrectionist “fellow Americans”.
But while he prepares to give a rallying speech declaring “the greatest victory in the history of mankind”, the truth is, his future is looking far bleaker. The Western Forces’ “final pockets of resistance”, which he claims are about to be crushed, are in fact only weeks, maybe days, away from taking control of Washington DC and The White House.
“The President will be dead within a month,” Reuters writer Joel (Narcos’ Wagner Moura) explains of his and Lee’s eagerness to leave New York for the nation’s capital as soon as possible. They want to secure a photo and interview with him – something he hasn’t given in 14 months – before that happens.
However, with the interstates vaporised and potential danger lurking at every gas station or strip mall, making the 887-mile drive will not be easy – and that’s before they get to test the wellestablished rumour that “they shoot journalists on sight in DC”.
Joining them on the journey are veteran New York Times scribe Sammy (Causeway’s Stephen McKinley Henderson) and young shutterbug Jessie (Priscilla’s Cailee Spaeny), who was rescued by Lee from a suicide bomber just the day before.
Both had objections raised against their presence by the bickering Reuters pair, but now that they occupy the back seat, it looks like they’re in it for the long haul – as long as they keep their heads down and don’t manage to get themselves killed.
Like writer-director Alex Garland’s previous features Ex Machina, Annihilation and Men – or the ones he simply penned, like 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Dredd – this offers up a dystopian vision that has a resonance because it feels like it “could happen”.
And, in this case, it really does feel like an extrapolation of the tensions that currently exist “in the land of the free and the home of the brave”, rather than simply a nightmarish flight-of-fancy.
But, despite the allusions to a particular, polarising president, this cleverly eschews the obvious polemic potential for something more evenhanded, instead making the case for why, more than ever, there’s a need for so-called “mainstream media” to inform the public of what is really going on – and hold those in power to account.
At its heart, though, Civil War is a road-cum-conflict movie – a kind of a cross between Into the Wild, Zero Dark Thirty, The Hurt Locker and Apocalypse.
Now, our quartet encounter a series of violent and terrifying situations (and characters), as they make their way into this America’s “heart of darkness”.
And while Garland deserves the lion’s share of the kudos for keeping the drama taut and tensions high, it’s the awesome foursome at the story’s centre who really sell this to the audience.
Henderson adds gravitas, Spaeny is a sparky presence who will remind you of early Elliot Page, Moura is a highspirited, engaging bundle of nervous energy, while Dunst is a revelation as the world-weary, seen-it-all snapper distraught at what she’s seeing unfold in her backyard.
It’s her best performance since Lars von Trier’s haunting end-of-the-world tale Melancholia and one that – if there’s any justice – will see her richly rewarded come 2025’s awards season.