Civil War is a gripping thriller

Film review: Civil War (15) – seen at The Light Cinema, Wisbech

Starring: Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny and Jesse Plemons

Director: Alex Garland Run time: One hour, 49 minutes

Kirsten Dunst stars in Civil War

Alex Garland’s new film Civil War takes the setting of a modern-day US internal conflict and follows a group of war journalists across the country as they look to interview the beleaguered president.

The movie isn’t exactly what you might expect from this topic as rather than focusing on the politics of the war or even going into many details of the causes, all eyes are on the main cast, creating engaging relationships and drama.

This allows for Garland to create an environment in which the audience grows very close to the characters, allowing him to ultimately create an extremely tense thriller using the eponymous Civil War as a setting to enhance this suspense.

Filled with extremely tense moments throughout, this film uses clever editing splicing in photos the journalists are taking in the heat of the moment, as well as meaty and intentional sound design showing the shock of gunshots and explosions.

This is contrasted with a wide soundtrack featuring artists such as De La Soul, which allows for moments of calm in between many a heavier scene. Acting throughout the movie also proves very good, especially in one especially explosive scene featuring Jesse Plemmons.

Civil War is a great thriller, gripping the viewer throughout while also having engaging character drama and looking stylish while doing so.

Rating: 9/10

By Alfie Ransome