Civil War (2024) is My Head-Canon Sequel to The Hunt (2020)

Holy forking shirt balls, have I been chomping at the bit to see this movie and now that I have I am deeply unsettled. This film is probably not what you are expecting, but it is certainly a heck of a commentary. The plot tells the story of a second American civil war told through the perspective of journalists. Obviously, I find that premise extremely compelling as an opinionated journalist myself.

Civil War (2024) is written and directed by Alex Garland and distributed by A24

There are two kinds of journalists: Those who believe their job is to document, never interfere, and present both sides as equally valid; and those who believe they have agency to change the outcome and are not separate or removed from everybody else. That is the narrative tension that forms the crux of Alex Garland’s Civil War. If you wanted this movie to be about the complexities of the political divide, you will be disappointed - in fact, politics have been stripped from the story in such a way that you never know who is on what side of the divide of which we are all currently acutely aware.

There is a scene in Catch-22 by Joseph Heller in which one of the characters insists everybody is trying to kill him and is in no way reassured when it’s pointed out that they’re shooting at everyone. That is the same unsettling feeling Civil War leaves in the pit of my tummy. The journalistic dilemma is the heart of the story, but it’s wrapped up in a violent mortality that perfectly illustrates why “war correspondent” was never the flavor of writing I wanted to pursue.

The fictionalized rebellion is led by secessionist states Texas and California, which lesser reviews seem to think is impossible despite both states having real-life secession movements. In our actual timeline, Russia fueled and financed both states’ secession parties. A Vox review of the movie missed that point, but redeems itself well by analyzing the film through the lens of The Logic of Violence in Civil Wars by Sttathis Kalyvas, an academic examination of civilian behavior under the threat of violence.

Kirsten Dunst delivers her most impressive performance to date, as a battle-weary journalist who can’t stop chasing the story even while knowing exactly what it is costing her - and it does cost journalists to cover atrocities. The main flaw is that the script doesn’t give much to like about the characters, you root for them not because you’ve bonded emotionally but merely because they are the closest thing we have to heroes in the movie. That sucks if you love journalism and wanted a movie that restores faith in the fourth estate.

I, personally, am not generally a fan of “war movies” but I don’t think it’s an apt comparison to try and draw from that overused well because Civil War is a different kind of movie altogether. I think people who enjoyed The Hunt will find Civil War to be a thought-provoking intersectional cinematic portrayal relevant to many facets of our right now in modern life. It’s uncomfortable and unsettling, but it’s also excellently done because we live in uncomfortable and unsettling times.