Review | Civil War movie review: America at war with itself in Ex Machina director Alex Garland’s evocative thriller
- Kirsten Dunst and Nick Offerman star in Civil War, Ex Machina director Alex Garland’s thriller about an America that begins to fracture from within
- Whether the film offers insight into the make-up of modern America is debatable – this is a film that stands back from conflict – but it is gripping nonetheless
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4/5 stars
Anyone who knows their history will be aware that America endured a civil war in the 1860s, as the Confederacy in the South fought against the Union in the North.
British director Alex Garland (Ex Machina) updates that idea for this evocative thriller that shows just what it might be like if the United States comes to blows now.
The film begins with the US president (Nick Offerman) rehearsing a speech, as we learn that the US states of California and Texas have allied to form the Western Forces, fighting against the increasingly brutal federal government.
Garland’s story looks at this crumbling America through the eyes of four members of the press.
At the forefront is Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst, excellent), a war photographer who is every bit as celebrated as her real-life namesake Lee Miller.
Joining them is New York Times veteran Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) for what is a hellish ride through a bullet-strewn landscape where horrors lurk at every corner.
One scene sees the gang enter a dilapidated Winter Wonderland attraction, where a sniper picks off trespassers – a terrifying moment that suggests how allies and enemies are all too easily mixed up.
Naturally, Dunst’s Lee takes Spaeny’s Jessie under her wing, directing her what to shoot; predictably, Jessie’s hero worship evaporates as she becomes more confident behind the lens.
Undoubtedly, this is Garland’s biggest scale movie to date and he handles the action sequences admirably, particularly when the story rolls into Washington near the end.
There is also a hugely tense sequence when Lee and the others run into some gun-wielding psychos (including Dunst’s real-life partner, Jesse Plemons) who shoot if you are not from the right place.
“I’m from Hong Kong,” wails one tear-strewn character.
Whether Garland’s film offers any insight into the make-up of contemporary America, particularly during an election year, is debatable. This is a film that deliberately stands back from conflict, looking through the lens of a Leica camera as chaos unfolds.
If anything, Civil War is a better film about photojournalism than it is about the implosion of American society, with Garland subtly suggesting that just about nobody knows who or what they should be firing at.
Whatever the case, it is never less than gripping.
