Civil War
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In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.
What critics thought
Alex Garland's war-correspondent thriller earns strong notices for its visceral craft and Kirsten Dunst's performance, but the film's deliberate refusal to name sides or take a political stance became its most contested quality — for some critics a provocative act of restraint, for others a fundamental evasion that leaves the film's considerable tension without a moral payload.
“Rarely have I seen a movie that made me so acutely uncomfortable or watched an actor's face that, like Dunst's, expressed a nation's soul-sickness so vividly that it felt like an X-ray.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“furiously convincing and disturbing”
Matt Zoller Seitz·RogerEbert.com
“the film feels poetically, deeply true, even when it's suggesting that humans are more apt to tear one another apart for petty grievances than over a sincere defense of some kind of principles”
Amy Nicholson·The Washington Post
“The script's utilization of characters of color as conduits for brutality needed to be explored further ... Ultimately, Civil War feels like a missed opportunity. The director's vision of a fractured America, embroiled in conflict, holds the potential for introspection on our current societal divisions. However, the film's execution, hampered by thin characterization, a lackluster narrative and an overreliance on spectacle over substance, left me disengaged.”
Valerie Complex·Deadline Hollywood
“Civil War does not resonate like that classic, because it does not explicitly address this moment. We as a people cannot fix a problem we cannot name.”
Eisa Nefertari Ulen·The Hollywood Reporter
Genres
Action, Thriller, War
Cast & Crew
Alex GarlandDirector
Kirsten DunstLee
Wagner MouraJoel
Cailee SpaenyJessie
Stephen McKinley HendersonSammy
Nelson LeeTony
Nick OffermanPresident
Jefferson WhiteDave
Evan LaiBohai
Vince PisaniConcierge
Justin James BoykinAmerican Soldier (Middle East)
Jess MatneyCheckpoint Soldier
Greg HillPete
Ben SalisburyComposer
Geoff BarrowComposer
Rob HardyCinematographyFrom the studio
Civil War
In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.
What critics thought
Alex Garland's war-correspondent thriller earns strong notices for its visceral craft and Kirsten Dunst's performance, but the film's deliberate refusal to name sides or take a political stance became its most contested quality — for some critics a provocative act of restraint, for others a fundamental evasion that leaves the film's considerable tension without a moral payload.
“Rarely have I seen a movie that made me so acutely uncomfortable or watched an actor's face that, like Dunst's, expressed a nation's soul-sickness so vividly that it felt like an X-ray.”
Manohla Dargis·The New York Times
“furiously convincing and disturbing”
Matt Zoller Seitz·RogerEbert.com
“the film feels poetically, deeply true, even when it's suggesting that humans are more apt to tear one another apart for petty grievances than over a sincere defense of some kind of principles”
Amy Nicholson·The Washington Post
“The script's utilization of characters of color as conduits for brutality needed to be explored further ... Ultimately, Civil War feels like a missed opportunity. The director's vision of a fractured America, embroiled in conflict, holds the potential for introspection on our current societal divisions. However, the film's execution, hampered by thin characterization, a lackluster narrative and an overreliance on spectacle over substance, left me disengaged.”
Valerie Complex·Deadline Hollywood
“Civil War does not resonate like that classic, because it does not explicitly address this moment. We as a people cannot fix a problem we cannot name.”
Eisa Nefertari Ulen·The Hollywood Reporter
Genres
Action, Thriller, War
Cast & Crew
Alex GarlandDirectorKirsten DunstLeeWagner MouraJoelCailee SpaenyJessieStephen McKinley HendersonSammyNelson LeeTonyNick OffermanPresidentJefferson WhiteDaveEvan LaiBohaiVince PisaniConciergeJustin James BoykinAmerican Soldier (Middle East)Jess MatneyCheckpoint SoldierGreg HillPeteBen SalisburyComposerGeoff BarrowComposerRob HardyCinematographyFrom the studio
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