'The War Between' Movie Review: One Of The Most Relevant Westerns Of Our Times

I won’t say that I am a connoisseur of the western genre. That’s because by the time I got into films, the neo-western genre was in vogue, while those that were considered classics were looked down upon as “problematic,” particularly in terms of their portrayal of the Native Americans and women in general. Still, I managed to get around to stuff like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, The Magnificent Seven, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. But the ones that truly shaped my view of the Wild West were The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Hell or High Water, The Power of the Dog, The Harder They Fall, and Killers of the Flower Moon. Hence, I tend to gravitate towards movies and even shows that are bold enough to analyze the American frontier through a critical lens instead of glorifying all the racism and violence under the garb of authenticity. And yes, The War Between definitely catered to my very specific taste.

Deborah Correa’s The War Between, written by Ron Yungul, takes place in the 1800s, during the opening months of the American Civil War. We are brought into this story through Israel Terry of the First California Cavalry, who finds himself bloodied, bruised, and lost in the Arizona territory after a skirmish at Picacho Peak. He finds (barely) drinkable water and also manages to kill a rabbit in order to sustain himself, but the thing that actually keeps him alive is his urge to reunite with his wife, Charlotte. While stumbling through the barren landscape, he finally comes across another human being, Private Moses Jennings. On the surface, that seems like a welcome sight. They help each other out with their supplies and wounds. They exchange information regarding their respective destinations—Terry is headed to Fort Defiance, while Jennings wants to get to Fort Bliss. But when Terry learns that Jennings is a Confederate soldier who has probably killed some of his friends, the whole situation turns sour pretty quickly. The temperature rises, guns are drawn, and their differences almost get the better of them until they realize that they can survive the desert only if they work together. Will Terry and Jennings learn to coexist, or will they let their ideological disagreements get the better of them? Well, that’s what forms the crux of the story.

Despite being set in the 1800s, Yungul’s script is in conversation with present-day America. Much like Terry and Jennings, people are divided over political issues to such an extent that they are forgetting that humanity’s survival should be our top priority. Given the state that the planet is in, it should be clear that the color of our skin, the god we pray to, and the food we eat—none of it matters. What matters is that we stick together as a species, find solutions to the problems that our ancestors have created, and hope to pave the way for a bright future for our descendants. It’s possible that we won’t survive the ordeal, but it’s definitely better to die fighting for something good instead of perishing with hate and contempt for our fellow human beings in our hearts. Yungul knows that that’s not an easy task, especially when our minds have been poisoned by generations of bigotry. However, unless we start trying to improve, change will always seem impossible. And, yes, a lot of westerns do have these elements embedded in the narrative. But something about the timing of the film as well as the tenderness with which Yungul explores the themes of humanity and unity makes The War Between extremely relevant. All those who are prioritizing the “greatness” of the USA over basic humanitarian values should watch this; hopefully it’ll show them the light.

The War Between is a technically proficient film. Correa, along with cinematographer Evan Jake Cohen, editors Chris Bradley and Paul Gross, composer Dennis Dreith, production designer Roderick E. Stevens, art director Christopher Wick, costume designer Noelle Knipe, and those in charge of the sound, visual effects, props, sets, and stunts, have done a splendid job. I don’t know what the budget of the film is, but I can bet it’s much, much less than something like American Primeval, Kevin Costner’s Horizon movies, or the 2016 remake of The Magnificent Seven. And yet it manages to outdo all of them in terms of its visual storytelling. Correa understands her limitations, but she doesn’t allow them to negatively impact her vision. She makes every second of footage count. She rarely sets a conversation scene or an altercation between the protagonists and antagonists indoors. Everyone is always in the desert for such long stretches of time that you feel like your skin has started to tan. That is a roundabout way of saying that Correa immerses you in this world and the journey that her characters are on and shows you how to strike a balance between intimate character-building and posing provocative questions about what makes America, America. To be honest, if that doesn’t make this one of the best westerns out there in your eyes, I don’t know what will.

Coming to the performances in The War Between, Damian Conrad-Davis and Sam Bullington do most of the heavy lifting. And while they capture the complexity of the dynamic between Terry and Jennings’ damaged egos, I couldn’t help but feel an undercurrent of homoeroticism between them. I know that every single historian will chastise me for saying this, but you go and look at the moment where Jennings cleans Terry, and you tell me if it had shades of an enemies-to-lovers arc that was curtailed in the name of historical accuracy or something. Wayne Charles Baker is great. Essa O’Shea, despite her limited screen time, leaves quite the impression. Carson Rapsilver and Israel Alexander are pretty amazing. The rest of the supporting cast deserves a huge round of applause as well. I don’t know if this movie, directed by Deborah Correa and written by Ron Yungul, will revolutionize the western genre and impact the current socio-political climate in a positive way, but I think it ought to. Yes, in an ideal world, we shouldn’t rely on entertainment to incite change. However, we are living in a time where the power of cinema is being wielded by forces that do not respect or love the medium. Hence, in this scenario, I’ll take anyone who is championing co-existence and critiquing bigotry. So, in case it’s not clear already, please, allow me to state that I highly recommend giving The War Between a watch.