A24’s Warfare, like many movies, opens with a song, but this film’s choice was unexpectedly brilliant. The best war movies of all time include classics like Apocalypse Now and Saving Private Ryan, films that have stood the test of time in production value, performances, and profound themes about their subject material. When a genre is packed with such тιтans of cinema, it’s incredibly challenging to make a dent with fresh material, but Ray Mendoza and Alex Garland’s recent work has found its way to stand apart.

Warfare’s cast includes up-and-coming stars like Joseph Quinn, Charles Melton, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Cosmo Jarvis, and more, much like the ensembles of The Thin Red Line and Black Hawk Down before it. However, the true takeaway from the film is the directorial brilliance of Mendoza and Garland. Alex Garland is an industry veteran regarded for work on 28 Days Later and Ex Machina, while Mendoza is a former Navy SEAL whose personal experiences are the source for the film. The combination of filmmaking expertise and an authentic first-hand account results in something spectacular.

What The Song In Warfare’s Opening Scene Is

Warfare Opens With An Unexpected Hype-Up Song

Warfare opens up with a surprising sequence, with the music video for Eric Prydz’s 2004 hit “Call on Me” playing before anything else. The song was a tremendous sales success upon its release, though it was best known for its provocative music video, which displayed several women in an aerobic fitness setting with an underlying Sєxual tone. It’s no surprise to see a platoon of soldiers, even some of the most well-trained in the world, building up anticipation with this video just before carrying out their mission.

Speaking with Time, Ray Mendoza revealed that the film’s use of this video was tied to the actual story, as his platoon would watch it together before every mission, and it became an inside joke to them. The movie pulls no punches with its use of military jargon and naturalistic language, so it’s no surprise that Mendoza and Garland kept in such a uniquely unforgettable piece of the platoon’s personality. Amidst the film’s grueling battle sequences, it provides a captivating piece of levity.

Warfare Opening With “Call On Me” Was A Great Choice

The Song Helps This Movie Stand Out With A Unique Tone

Of course, this is a bizarre opening for a film marketed as a brutally candid depiction of war, based on actual events from the Iraq War. The real battle this movie is based on, the Second Battle of Ramadi, raged on for eight months, and the тιтle is intended to capture the final days, so one might expect Warfare to have opened with a direct glimpse into the bloodbath. That’s a significant component of what makes this such a powerful introduction, as one might even grow concerned they’d found themselves in the wrong theater.

I’m all for films making bold choices with music and playing against type, but it’s even more effective when the idea is drawn from real emotions and human experiences. Ray Mendoza contributed numerous matters of combat-related expertise to the project, allowing the depictions of battle in the Iraq War to feel more realistic than most movies can offer, but his most remarkable additions are the ones that demonstrate the heart of these young men. Watching realistic action is one thing, but it’s emboldened when the characters feel lively.

What Song Plays At The End Of Warfare

Warfare’s Closing Tune Takes A Drastically Different Tone

Not only does Warfare open with a fitting song, but it also ends with an intriguing choice. The final song played in the film is “Dancing and Blood” by Low. It’s particularly relevant, given that this film has no musical score and no songs played throughout the action and drama of the story. The only two pieces of music played in Warfare happen in the beginning and in the end, setting the tone for the movie’s intro and outro. For this purpose, “Dancing and Blood” concludes the film with a much darker tone.

“Dancing and Blood’s” tone vastly differs from “Call on Me,” and its purpose is to demonstrate the immediate shift away from levity in the movie. Shortly after the platoon celebrates and laughs at the Eric Prydz song, they find themselves in a fight for their lives, which they narrowly escape from. Even though they manage to rescue Elliott Miller after the ᴅᴇᴀᴅly explosives leave him with horrifying injuries, the experience depicted in Warfare was still dreadful and traumatizing, making “Dancing and Blood” the perfect sendoff.