The setting remains the city of Ramadi in Iraq in the year 2006, a period that is notorious for the Iraqi War that is underway. The politics of the land is skewed, something that you notice when a regiment of the US Navy SEAL enters a civilian house in order to use it as a station for surveillance. The family in the house is asked to hide, and while it is unclear on whether the family is detained or otherwise, there is an authoritative stance on the part of the soldiers that are members of a potential skirmish which is underway. One of the most interesting aspects of the drama is that the entire proceedings unfold at a single location. The house is confined and claustrophobic if you take into account the war that is underway, and it automatically acts as one of the characters in the drama. But despite this intimate setup, you are privy to the layers of tension that are built up through the unpredictability of the external forces. Clearly, the atmospherics are enough to suck you into the drama!

One of the earlier conflicts include a break in the aerial surveillance of the area, something that automatically raises the stake in the drama. And even as you are fleetingly introduced to some of its characters Ray (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) and Erik (Will Poulter) handling the communications, you slowly understand that this faux-documentary has blurred lines, making it an immersive experience. The principal goal remains of survival while having to build surveillance in the vicinity in the absence of aerial assistance. Taking advantage of the same, it is implied that the ‘enemy’ has started to move in, with the intention of hunting down the American soldiers. And so, the entire opening act is designed as a buildup to the layers of tension that soon threaten to escalate into something more fatal.

The drama here also briefly reminded me of American Sniper (2014) wherein the enemy remains faceless and at a distance. Here, the drama again wishes to exploit the fact that the enemy is invisible, almost squeezing any remote emotions with respect to people from either sides. And in the larger scheme of things, this definitely works because of its binary take of war, that leads to a loss of lives from both sides. At the same time, the gaze remains fixed while not deviating from the principal plot. The POV never switches, and that continues to add to the immersive experience with the stakes in the drama tactfully being raised. And what started as a stand-off mission, slowly transitions into that of survival and a potential escape, with danger slowly closing in on the characters.

The stakes in the drama are tactfully raised following an IED explosion that destroys a Bradley (a vehicle used in war), while killing and injuring a few folks in a riveting scene. Soon, the conflict runs deeper with respect to survival with the incorporation of layers. The idea of preserving war material versus saving human lives was an interesting conflict that played an integral role in exploring the internal politics of the group. As a byproduct, there was also a running theme of brotherhood, of placing ‘We’ before ‘Me’, that engulfed the narrative, thereby making it its core. The real-time narrative was enough to keep you trapped in a single setting that resonating with shrieks and pain after a point, even as the survival mode was in full swing. In a way, the drama also doubled up as a stand-off between two sides (both of whom may have been impacted, and only one shown), while reinforcement and teamwork work in tandem.

This, also extends to its final act that was filled with tension, and the rescue ops in full swing. The motive was not to put an end to the overall drama by indicating the closure of war – this solely remained a chapter in the lives of these soldiers that was firmly etched in their memories while bringing this chapter to a conclusion. This extended even to the family who were seemingly detained, or rebel soldiers who also did survive an onslaught! The tight and taut runtime was more designed to go from point A to point B with a heavy focus on the shifting dynamics and the unpredictability of the situation that eventually was immersive to witness. And that ensured that the screenplay was tense and made for a solid impact.