A War

For a Danish army commander facing the Taliban in Afghanistan, missing his wife and kids back in Copenhagen only adds to the stresses of a dangerous, strategically challenging posting in this topical drama from the team behind 2012's potent Somali pirate saga A Hijacking. Director Tobias Lindholm has a way of giving his scenes an immersive documentary-style authenticity, though for the film's first half, which cuts between Pilou Asbaek's hard-pressed officer in the field and spouse Tuva Novotny on the home front, the material almost seems over-familiar. A mid-point twist however, throws everything into sharp relief, putting the focus on Asbaek's decision-making and revealing the film's underlying purpose - asking whether it's viable for Western troops to adhere to moral standards ignored by their ruthless opponents. Inexorably, pressure mounts on an evidently decent and caring individual, but Lindholm's film has few easy answers to deliver, just strong performances, and a gripping, engaged approach to thorny contemporary issues.