Civil War (2024)
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A group of war journalists travels across a fractured America to reach the White House as a civil war reaches its climax.
The story
Set during a second American civil war fought between a despotic federal government and secessionist movements, the film follows a group of war journalists traveling from New York City to Washington, D.C. Their goal is to interview the president of the United States before the capital city is seized by rebels. The journey takes them through a landscape of conflict, where they encounter various factions and the harsh realities of a nation torn apart by internal strife.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The United States is engulfed in civil war between an authoritarian federal government led by a third-term president, and three secessionist movements. The president claims victory by the federal government is imminent, but Washington, D.C. will soon be under threat of attack by the joint California and Texas secessionist "Western Forces" (WF). After surviving a suicide bombing in New York City, jaded veteran war photographer Lee Smith and journalist colleague Joel from Reuters share their plan to interview the isolated president with their mentor, Sammy, a reporter from The New York Times. They are joined by Jessie Collin, an aspiring photojournalist. The group travels through various locations, including a gas station and a refugee camp, documenting the violence. They are joined by two reporters from Hong Kong, but they are caught in a skirmish where Sammy is mortally wounded. The survivors reach the capital and eventually embed with the Western Forces as they assault the White House. After the presidential limousine is destroyed, the trio enters the White House. In the Oval Office, the president is captured. Joel asks for a quote while the president pleads for his life. Jessie captures the final image of the president's execution.
- First release year
- 2024
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United Kingdom; United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Alex Garland
- Writers
- Alex Garland · writer
- Cast and characters
- Kirsten Dunst; Wagner Moura; Cailee Spaeny; Sonoya Mizuno; Nick Offerman; Stephen McKinley Henderson; Jesse Plemons · Wyatt
- Genres
- dystopian; war-thriller
- Themes
- political polarization; war's impact on journalism; societal division
- Tone and mood
- tense; disturbing; bleak
- Premise and plot tags
- war; journalism; political thriller
- Reception
- The film received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances and the visual style, though some noted its lack of focus on character depth.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 75 · scale: 100 · review count: 64; CinemaScore · score: B- · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 76% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- A24's most expensive film at the time; Filmed in locations including Atlanta, Georgia, and London; Used a prosumer DJI Ronin 4D camera
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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