Movie Review: ‘Civil War’ Movie Portrays Consequences of Political Division

By Gregory Moore

“Civil War” was released on April 12, directed by writer-director Alex Garland, starring Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Steven McKinley Henderson, and Cailee Spaeny, and is 1:49 in duration.

The highly acclaimed movie, “Civil War,” set in modern times, tells the backstory of four reporters from three different generations going on a dangerous and risky road trip to cover the military conflict taking place in the US after two states secede from the United States.  Little is said in the movie about how the conflict started or why. All we know from the movie is that a “Western Alliance’’ between Texas and California have seceded from the Union and are launching a modern-day military march to the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C.

The first few minutes of the movie mark the only time we hear a full explanation of the conflict which comes through sporadic breaking news reports on television. On the journey between New York and Washington, we see bombed-out cities, abandoned cars on empty highways, and what appears to be the complete collapse of the U.S. economy. There are periodic glances of a dystopian population seeking to survive, hunkered down with their shotguns, or seeking refuge in disaster relief camps. It’s a familiar picture frame that we see every day on the evening news. However, in this instance, instead of Gaza or the Ukrainian war-torn landscape, it is the cities and towns of the United States that are displayed in haunting detail.

The bulk of the movie is centered around the personal dynamics between three photojournalists and an elderly sage Black reporter seeking to scoop the first pictures of the Western Alliances’ seizure of Washington, D.C.

Presented in a fast-paced one hour and 49 minutes, “Civil War” follows the adventures of four main characters led by Lee Smith, an aging, trailblazing journalist portrayed by actress Kirsten Dunst; Sammy, a seasoned veteran reporter portrayed by veteran stage actor Stephen McKinley Henderson; Jessie Cullen, a very eager student photojournalist played by up-and-coming actress Caliee Spaeny; and Joel, the South American photojournalist portrayed by Brazilian actor Wagner Moura

Seeing the White House under fierce military siege was jarring and a reminder that the conflict, for whatever reason, had led to this level of carnage. Eventually, the journalists were embedded with the rebel forces of the Western Alliance as they made their way closer to the U.S. Capitol. Their deadly encounters with the warring factions along the way would reveal their personal journeys as photojournalists covering past foreign U.S. wars.

The character that resonated the most was Sammy, movingly portrayed by Henderson, who carried with his large frame a wealth of knowledge and experience that he repeatedly tried to impart to the younger, adventuristic journalists. Despite his poor health, Sammy takes up with the three younger journalists and helps guide them, and rescue them, through some of the more dangerous encounters in the movie.

“Civil War,” despite its title, directs the attention of the moviegoer, not so much on the deadly conflict itself, but on the coverage of it by the four reporters and the desperate citizenry they encounter along the way. Getting “the photo” of the graphic carnage and “the interview” with the beleaguered president under siege becomes the most important goal of the group – not saving the country from complete collapse.

The full-scale modern-day military seizure of the U.S. Capitol was depicted in the final minutes of the movie with still no clear reason why it had come to this and who or what was driving the rebellion. Ironically, the succession that reportedly started thousands of miles away from Washington,D.C., was now at its doorstep seeking its complete overthrow. The team eventually ended up embedded with the rebel forces as they marched toward the nation’s capital. It also became increasingly clear as the movie progressed which side of the conflict the media was on.

“Civil War” is a stark reminder of the inherent tragedy of war between the states and makes a strong case for why we should always aim for diplomacy, reconciliation, and peace over division, retribution, and pestilence.