A24’s harrowing war dramaWarfareis based on the real memories of former Navy SEAL Ray Mendoza, whose path from the streets of Iraq to the director’s chair for a major Hollywood movie has been fascinating.Warfareacts as a real-time reenactment of a bloody encounterthat the real Mendoza and his platoon experienced in November 2006, as part of the fallout of the Battle of Ramadi during the Iraq War. All the film’s story material was taken directly from the accounts of Mendoza and his fellow platoon members for the sake of ensuring accuracy to the highest degree.
Warfareis also the writing and directorial debut for the former SEAL Mendoza, who has worked steadily in Hollywood for more than a decade now. While he and legendary writer/director Alex Garland are listed as co-directors, the seasoned Hollywood director has been very up front that his role was supporting Mendoza’s vision as director. Despite Mendoza’s inexperience as a director,Warfareis breaking Rotten Tomatoes recordsfor its incredible realism and immersive experience. It’s the culmination of Mendoza’s career since the events depicted inWarfare, and certainly bodes well for his future as a filmmaker.
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The Former Navy SEAL Was A Seasoned Soldier During The Events Of Warfare
Image via A24
Ray Mendoza joined the Navy in 1997 and wound up serving for around 16 years, so by the time the events depicted inWarfareunfolded, he was already an experienced soldier. That point is communicated thoroughly inWarfare, as D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai portrays Mendoza as focused and collected during the disorientation of the attack he and his platoon experience. During that time, the real Mendoza was a JTAC (Joint Terminal Attack Controller), a qualified and experienced soldier who coordinates communication and directs military aircraft engaged in close support of ground forces.
Mendoza was actually still a Navy SEAL chief when he first participated in a Hollywood production. He acted in the 2012 action filmAct of Valorby directors Mouse McCoy and Scott Waugh, which featured real active-duty Navy SEALs and SWCC personnel. That first movie sparked Mendoza’s interest in filmmaking, and set the stage for his post-active duty career.
Ray Mendoza Has Worked On Several Movies & TV Shows Since 2013
Mendoza Has Acted As A Producer And Military Technical Advisor
PerStars and Stripes,Mendoza’s path to the director’s chair was far from simple or easy. Following his exit from the military, Mendoza worked as a technical and military advisor for some major movies, most notablyLone Survivor, the retelling of fellow SEAL veteran Marcus Luttrell’s experience in the mountains of Afghanistan. His experience on that movie and relationship with director Peter Berg helped launch him into more work as an adviser.
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However, his early work wasn’t necessarily paying the bills, and it was difficult to build a reputation with such a behind-the-scenes role. He continued to focus on branching out and working, and eventually wound up on noteworthy movies and shows, includingJurassic World,Mile 22, andThe Outpost. He even did some motion-capture work for the ultra-popular video gameCall of Duty: Modern Warfare. Mendoza has also acted in two other projects, with brief roles in the short filmOperation Pawnand the Prime Video seriesThe Terminal List, for which he was also a technical advisor.
Ray Mendoza’s Work On Civil War Led To Him Co-Directing Warfare
He Was An Advisor On Alex Garland’s 2024 Dystopian Action Thriller
After a decade of experience with eyes on the next step, Mendoza was invited to work with Alex Garland onCivil War, which wound up being a career turning point. He and Garland meshed well, and inCivil War’s climactic storming of the White House scene, Garland notes that he stepped aside so that Mendoza could direct the scene. Mendoza’s intentional adherence to the real-time progression of the gun battles truly impressed Garland, which led to him asking if there were any stories from Mendoza’s military career that would work without the typical Hollywood time progression of combat.
The result wasWarfare, which plays out in real time from the moment the title screen drops. Just as he did in the climax ofCivil War, Garland effectively stepped back into a supporting role as director, allowing Mendoza’s vision and experience to rise to the forefront. Per Mendoza, the feedback he’s gotten from veterans has been overwhelmingly positive, and the ultra-realism on display is what’s contributed toWarfare’s outstanding critic review scores. It’s clear that Mendoza’s career in Hollywood is only beginning, if the success ofWarfareis any indication.
