A War
A War Review: Story, Cast, Rating & Final Verdict
Last updated: April 11, 2026
Movie Overview: A War
| Movie | A War |
| Release Year | 2015 |
| Director | Tobias Lindholm |
| Genre | Drama / War |
| Runtime | 115 minutes |
| Language | DA |
Quick Verdict: Hit or Flop?
Is A War (2015) worth watching? According to our cinematic analysis, the film stands as a HIT with a verified audience rating of 6.6/10. Whether you're looking for the box office collection, ending explained, or parents guide, our review covers everything you need to know about this Drama.
Cast & Character Study
The performances in A War are led by Pilou Asbæk . The supporting cast, including Tuva Novotny and Søren Malling , provides the necessary layers to the central narrative.
movieMx Verdict: Is it Worth Your Time?
What Works in the Movie
A War stands out as a strong entry in the Drama genre. The film benefits from engaging storytelling, memorable performances, and solid production values that help keep viewers invested.
- Compelling performances from the main cast
- Strong visual storytelling and direction
- Well-structured Drama narrative
- Satisfying emotional or dramatic payoff
What Doesn't Work
Despite its strengths, A War has a few issues that may affect the overall viewing experience, particularly in terms of pacing and narrative consistency.
- Uneven pacing in certain parts of the film
- Some predictable plot developments
- May not appeal to audiences outside the Drama fanbase
Story & Plot Summary: A War
Quick Plot Summary: Released in 2015, A War is a Drama, War film directed by Tobias Lindholm. The narrative explores complex human emotions and relationships through detailed character development. This summary provides a scannable look at the movie's central conflict involving Pilou Asbæk.
Ending Explained: A War
A War Ending Explained: Directed by Tobias Lindholm, A War wraps up the main storyline while leaving some interpretation to viewers. The ending highlights the core drama themes developed throughout the film.
The emotional resolution focuses on the transformation of its main characters, particularly in scenes involving Pilou Asbæk. The interpretation of the ending may vary among viewers.
Key Elements of the Ending
- Narrative Resolution: The story resolves its primary conflict while leaving room for interpretation.
- Character Development: Character motivations become clearer by the final scenes.
- Thematic Message: The ending reinforces the drama themes introduced earlier in the film.
The final moments of A War reflect the creative choices of the filmmakers and align with the tone of the narrative.
A War Real vs. Reel: Is it Based on a True Story?
Is A War Based on a True Story?
A War reflects historical conflicts and military events. As a drama, war film directed by Tobias Lindholm, the production explores how real events can be adapted into a dramatic narrative.
Real Story vs Movie Version
The film takes creative liberties to strengthen its narrative. Certain scenes are likely dramatized to enhance emotional impact.
While inspired by real events, the narrative focuses more on storytelling than strict historical accuracy.
Accuracy Assessment: A War uses real-life inspiration as the foundation for a dramatized narrative. The film prioritizes thematic storytelling over strict documentary accuracy.
Who Should Watch A War?
Worth Watching If You:
- Enjoy Drama films and don't mind familiar tropes
- Are a fan of Pilou Asbæk or the director
- Want a character-driven story with emotional moments
Box Office Collection: A War
| Metric / Region | Collection (Approx) |
|---|---|
| Worldwide Gross | $1.1M |
| Trade Verdict | CLEAN HIT |
Top Cast: A War
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Where to Watch A War Online?
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FlixFlingA War Parents Guide & Age Rating
2015 AdvisoryWondering about A War age rating or if it's safe for kids? Here is our cinematic advisory:
⏱️ Runtime & Duration
The total runtime of A War is 115 minutes (1h 55m). Ensuring you have enough time for the full cinematic experience.
Verdict Summary
Analyzing the overall audience sentiment, verified rating of 6.6/10, and global performance metrics, A War is classified as a HIT. It remains an essential part of the 2015 cinematic calendar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is A War worth watching?
A War is definitely worth watching if you enjoy Drama movies. It has a verified rating of 6.6/10 and stands as a HIT in our box office analysis.
Where can I find A War parents guide and age rating?
The official parents guide for A War identifies it as R. Our detailed advisory section above covers all content warnings for families.
What is the total runtime of A War?
The total duration of A War is 115 minutes, which is approximately 1h 55m long.
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Critic Reviews for A War
> A single aspect account, the other side remains mystery. The movie that representing Denmark at the 88th American Academy Awards. To be honest, it was not as overwhelming as I anticipated or heard of it, especially after witnessing an outstanding sea piracy drama 'A Hijacking' from the same director. But for the todays scenario, any war movie with a fine production quality and a decent storyline is a hot topic. For instance, how a small movie like 'Kajaki' made a big impact among the movie fans. The main cast and crew combo returned from the previous film. It was a simple story told in three phases. The first two are narrated parallely between a husband fighting a war in Afghanistan and his wife taking care of their children back at home. The third part was the crucial one, the meeting point of the previous two, that mean all the earlier development leads to this final and probably the best setup for the tale to conclude. It was a realistic portrayal, and obviously coped with a slow pace rendering. But the timeline, especially skipping almost 6 months between the two halves of the movie ruined the rhythm of the steady narration. Actually, that is the story and it has to be done that way without other option. Regarding the story, it is difficult for the viewers come to any conclusion about what they see. Definitely it was not a complicated storytelling, but the entire film was a single perspective narration and you can't know what happened on the other side. > "You can't imagine, what it means to be out there." You might think I said lots of negative about the movie, but the fact is I liked it and still I felt it should have been a lot better than that. You are not me, so you might like it better than me. The movie topic was very serious, that talks about a war crime and the rest is a courtroom drama. The first half was clueless about what the movie is about, so you can't make any prediction. More like a composition of the unimportant events until the army unit's first encounter with their enemy. What comes after was really a good stuff, increases our expectation on how it's going to end and again that part was very ordinary. It's okay to be simple because this screenplay was not aimed for commercial or the entertainment gain than being natural to the real world. The moral of the story is the highlight, but people who watched this film forget that and bring up points why they did not like it as I brought a couple in the early. All scenes were well shot and the actors performed so good. I also heard that the soldiers were real army men who fought in the real battleground where this movie sets in. So the director had the experienced men around to guide to make a flawless war-drama and in the end it all payed off well after entering the final stage of the Oscars race. That's what any filmmaker in the world would have wanted, an international recognition for his hard work. 7/10
Auteur Tobias Lindholm offers us quite a though-provoking look at just how soldiers had to tread on eggshells as they carried out their peacekeeping duties in Afghanistan. Pilou Asbæk is squadron commander "Pedersen" who tries to carry out their anti-Taliban strategy whilst keeping as friendly a relationship as possible going with the locals. A family with an injured daughter come to their camp seeking help but he insists they must return home assuring them that they will visit them tomorrow. Duly following up on his pledge, he finds the family have been murdered and his men are now pinned down by enemy fire and forced to summon some heavy duty airborne assistance to save the life of one of their number - "Lasse" (Dulfi Al-Jabouri) who has been seriously wounded. Safely back at base it transpires that the deaths of the civilians has attracted the attention of the Judge Advocate's department and he is to be investigated. He is flown back to Denmark where he must face a trial that could see him facing up to fifteen years in jail. The court case that follows is, in itself, quite a weak one but what it does showcase well is the element of second guessing that goes on by people safely at home who make pontifical judgments on those whose lives are on the line day by day, and who have to make snap decisions to stay alive. It's a little prone to the use of acronyms - what, crucially, is a PID? - but by a combination of other testimony and the scenes with his family who are clearly concerned, it does rather beg a question of not just them but of us to. What are they there for? What has any of this got to do with Denmark, or her soldiers? That tangibility of knowing what is being fought for is questioned quite effectively. Heat of the moment or comfort of the office - it's up to us to decide.
movieMx Verified
This review has been verified for accuracy and editorial quality by our senior cinematic analysts.
This analysis is compiled by our editorial experts using multi-source verification and audience sentiment data for maximum accuracy.










