A War

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2:30

A War

R

Released Feb 12, 2016

1h 55m

War

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

97 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Ratings

A Danish commander (Pilou Asbæk) faces a courtroom trial after a judgment call leads to the deaths of 11 civilians during the war in Afghanistan.

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Critics Consensus

Tense, intelligent, and refreshingly low-key, A War is part frontline thriller, part courtroom drama -- and eminently effective in both regards.

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Cary Darling

Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com

The haunting and stark A War may be [Tobias Lindholm's] most striking and effective work yet

Rated: 4.5/5

Mar 17, 2016

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

A quietly searing drama about morality, priorities, and absolute truth.

Rated: 3.5/5

Mar 3, 2016

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Matthew Lickona

San Diego Reader

Writer-director Tobias Lindholm's latest is a microcosmic and finely wrought war story in which everyone has their reasons.

Rated: 3/5

Feb 26, 2016

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JD Duran

InSession Film

A War richly depicts, not only the physical war that Denmark was a part, but also this internal emotional war these characters faced. And the final product is beautiful and moving.

Rated: A

Aug 19, 2024

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Jordan Brooks

Vague Visages

More than a simple condemnation of war, of which there are plenty, A War seeks to deliver a thorough examination of human behavior.

Aug 1, 2023

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Michael J. Casey

Michael J. Cinema

The intent is purposeful, but the execution isn't entirely successful.

Rated: 2.5/5

Aug 12, 2021

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Georgan G

A thinking person's war movie, this drama digs into the cost of war on a personal level.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

12/07/24

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Steve C

Now I know that the only Danish word I understand without subtitles is the F-bomb.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/14/23

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nilufer e

It was a pretty powerful drama about tough decisions in the line of fire. The family aspect and the war aspect were combined beautifully and I didn't lose interest the whole time.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is a much more reflective war story than many I've seen. It moves between the battlefield in Afghanistan and the family at home every so often to reinforce the human dimension and pressures that serving in a war brings. And when Claus returns home, those pressures increase and intensity. But at the centre of this story is the ethical dilemma faced by Claus. And the movie has the courage to allow the dilemma to be a "messy", grey one and the viewer is challenged to consider what the "right" answer would be for them. The acting is very good and realistic. The pace is slow but remains engaging and the directing is mostly good. I did feel that it was a bit clunky at times and the intensity could have been ramped up a bit but I guess that the understated nature of the story was to make it more realistic and keep us focused on the issues rather than distracting us with the typical high level action of a war film. Worth watching for the way in which it makes the viewer think about the realities of war and how easy it would be to make mistakes under pressure — if they are really mistakes. The ethical and moral dilemmas could, however, been explored in greater depth.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

Full Review

andrew t

A THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND BEAUTIFULLY ACTED DEPICTION OF THE TENSION BETWEEN THE LAWLESSNESS OF WAR AND THE LEGAL DUTIES IMPOSED ON INDIVIDUAL SOLDIERS. A FASCINATING AND MOVING FILM.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

nefasto r

"A War" take its time to build up, and to be honest the journey is not as good as the message the movie wants to deliver in its second part. It is refreshing to watch a war drama where explosions are not the main character, it's just a shame it wasn't shaped better.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Tobias Lindholm

Director

Pilou Asbæk

Claus Michael Pedersen

Søren Malling

Martin R. Olsen

Tuva Novotny

Maria Pedersen

Charlotte Munck

Kajsa Danning

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A War: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

A Danish commander (Pilou Asbæk) faces a courtroom trial after a judgment call leads to the deaths of 11 civilians during the war in Afghanistan.

Director: Tobias Lindholm
Producer: Rene Ezra, Tomas Radoor
Screenwriter: Tobias Lindholm
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Nordisk Film
Rating: R (Some War-Related Images|Language)
Genre: War, Drama
Original Language: Danish
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 12, 2016, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $121.6K
Runtime: 1h 55m

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