Will Poulter says there are ‘few truly anti-war films’

By Lauren Del Fabbro, PA Entertainment Reporter

Will Poulter has said there are “few truly anti-war films”, claiming that they glorify and romanticise war.

Speaking at The Cinema in Battersea Power Station for a special screening of the film Warfare, the 32-year old described the movie as dealing with the “consequences” of war.

The film follows a platoon of American Navy Seals in Iraq when a surveillance mission goes wrong and stars Poulter as Captain Eric, the officer in charge alongside Canadian actor D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Stranger Things’ Joseph Quinn, Heartbreaker star Kit Connor and Shogun’s Cosmo Jarvis.

Speaking to the PA news agency, Poulter said: “This film really deals with the consequences of war. And I think that in past films about disparaging other movies which have maybe had different objectives, I think the tendency to glorify, romanticise or mine those environments for the most entertainment, they’ve neglected to reflect the reality of the situation.

“There are a few truly anti-war films, and I truly believe this one is in respect to how it shows the psychological and physical impact on everyone in those environments.

“It helps to sort of debunk this idea that people that go to war are, one, a lot older than they are in reality. And two, debunks the myth that they aren’t human, or that they don’t succumb to emotion and to psychological pressure.

“What you see in this film is very, very young men, like 20 to 25 which they are in reality, kind of experience the reality of war.

“You also see the impact on the family who are native to that area and impacted psychologically.”

Poulter is best known for starring in the hit comedy We’re The Millers and for playing Gally in the film adaptation of The Maze Runner.

Warfare was co-written and directed by Alex Garland and Iraq War veteran Ray Mendoza, using memories from Navy Seals, including Mendoza’s, from a mission in Ramadi in 2006.

Speaking at the screening, Connor added: “We hope people come out of it understanding the effects that it (war) has on everyone involved and just the real weight of it.

“I think no matter what time it is in the world, it will be an important film to watch.”

Warfare will be released by A24 in Irish Cinemas from April 18th.