Overview
A gripping tale of sacrifice and the toll of war on family life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- tense
- sober
- intimate
- serious movie night
- war film double feature
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a tense, intelligent, restrained war drama that effectively combines frontline suspense with courtroom moral inquiry.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Claus's decision to protect his men becomes the central moral and legal burden of the story.
The Afghan deployment, domestic routines, and legal proceedings are presented with controlled, observational restraint.
Claus's deployment is set against Maria's effort to raise their three children while he is away.
The consequences of Claus's mission decision lead into an adversarial courtroom drama.
Films like A War, and why
The Caine Mutiny
shared low-key frontline tension, moral ambiguity, and courtroom-drama structure
Kajaki
shared contemporary military realism, ethical pressure, and intimate human-scale drama
Eye in the Sky
shared war-zone suspense, procedural decision-making, and morally complex command responsibility
A Hijacking
shared Danish realism, restrained intensity, and institutional moral conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Tobias Lindholm
- Release Date
- 2015-09-10
- Runtime
- 115 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (242)
Cast
- Pilou Asbæk
- Tuva Novotny
- Søren Malling
- Charlotte Munck
- Dar Salim
- Dulfi Al-Jabouri
- Alex Høgh Andersen
- Jakob Frølund
- Phillip Sem Dambæk
- Petrine Agger
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A War about?
- A Danish company commander faces the moral and legal consequences of a battlefield decision made to save his soldiers in Afghanistan.
- What is A War like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A War as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is A War violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A War as moderate.
- What did critics think of A War?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a tense, intelligent, restrained war drama that effectively combines frontline suspense with courtroom moral inquiry.
- Which films are like A War?
- Films with a similar feel include The Caine Mutiny, Kajaki, Eye in the Sky, and A Hijacking.
- How long is A War?
- A War runs 115 minutes.
- Where can I watch A War?
- In United States, A War streams on Philo, Magnolia Selects Amazon Channel, Warriors and Gangsters Amazon Channel.
