Thanks for the memories!

Absolutely Fantastic

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

-A War (Danish: Krigen) is a 2015 Danish war drama film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm, and starring Pilou Asbæk and Søren Malling. It tells the story of a Danish military company in Afghanistan that is fighting the Taliban while trying to protect the civilians, and how the commander is accused of having committed a war crime. The film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards.--Production: -The film was produced by Nordisk Film with support from DR TV and received eight million Danish kroner from the Danish Film Institute. Filming took place in Copenhagen, in Konya, Turkey and in Almeria, Spain. It ended in January 2015. With the exception of the main characters, the soldiers are played by actual Danish soldiers who had served in Afghanistan.--Reception: -A War received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 90% "Certified Fresh" score based on 72 reviews, with an average rating of 7.7/10. The site's consensus states: "Tense, intelligent, and refreshingly low-key, A War is part frontline thriller, part courtroom drama -- and eminently effective in both regards." Metacritic reports an 81 out of 100 rating based on 29 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Olly Richards from Empire magazine gave the film four out of five stars saying "It's a riveting, complex film that asks one simple question: what do you do when there's no right answer?"., while Clayton Dillard from Slant Magazine gave it a mixed review: two out of four stars saying "Tobias Lindholm stages his claims through cluncky dramaturgical scenarios, with the seams exposed at every turn."

Pilou Asbæk of 'A Hijacking' fame plays Claus Michael Pedersen a Commander of the Danish forces in Afghanistan. The men have to do the usual patrols and face constant threats from Afghan rebels and IED's. Then on another patrol he and his men come under heavy and sustained fire and in the fog of battle he makes a fateful decision that will have huge future ramifications.We also have the story of his wife back home and the daily trials of trying to bring up three kids and hold a normal life together with their father away for months overseas and only having a satellite phone to stay connected.This is a very intense film that captures the utter fear of war and the awful situations that modern warfare can land people up in. It shows this from all sides. The acting is just superb and the direction from Tobias Lindholm ('The Hunt') is very accomplished. They do have wobbly cam a few time but not the full on shaky cam that so many people dislike, but I can live with that. The translation of the sub titles is wrong in a couple of places but generally quite good. This is a film that had me on the edge of my seat, the time flew by and as such I can agree with all the plaudits and easily recommend this as a great one to see.

Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at 88th Academy Awards, A War (also known as Krigen) is a competently crafted tale that may give the impression of a war drama at first but in actuality is a contemplation of the trail of blood that even a slight mistake in the battlefield can leave behind & follows a two-segment structure that slowly merge into one.A War tells the story of the commander of a Danish military company who is stationed in an Afghan province. Meanwhile, his family back home is struggling to cope with his absence. Things are set in motion when his soldiers are caught in a heavy crossfire while on a routine patrol during which he makes a judgment call that results in terrible consequences for him, his family & the very people they were trying to protect.Written & directed by Tobias Lindholm, A War commences on an instantly gripping note and nearly every moment set in Afghanistan is effortlessly compelling. Lindholm's direction is brilliant for he shows the events as they unfold but later puts the viewers in the jury seat and asks them few difficult questions about right & wrong by revealing the carnage left behind by an earlier decision that looked reasonable before.The relevant characters do exhibit interesting arcs, the two concurrently occurring segments are in proper sync for the most part, and the locations & set pieces manage to give it an authentic look n feel. Camera-work is expertly carried out, especially during the moments of combat. Editing is a bit slow in the second half. But the actors remain thoroughly committed in their given roles and deliver sincere performances that carry no complaints.On an overall scale, A War is effective in bits n pieces but there are also times when it falls flat. The film skilfully captures the difficulty in properly assessing the surroundings when life is hanging by a thread but also questions the validity of the final choice made and who's to be blamed should it result in an unintended tragedy. While the story smartly exhibits the struggles of its characters, this Danish drama is simply a quest for the right decision in a scenario that's without such an option. Worth a shot.

It's another movie that exploits Soldiers, that may sound harsh, but it's true. A War tugs at our sympathy for those who give their lives to fight for our freedom.The movie is about Claus, a commander of a danish army unit in Afghanistan. He's a man who has to make tough command calls, calls that alter the faith of the men who are under his command and the people he came to protect. At the same time, his wife is at home trying to keep the fort held down taking care of their three children while he's on tour.A War does have it's unique quality when Claus is put on trail for his command choices. This part slightly makes it a different story from all the rest of the support our troops messages I've seen in other recent pictures.Otherwise, it reminds me of Hurt Locker, as the quality of production was superb, over a well orchestrated narrative. But the movie does have the advantage of being about a hot topic, our troops. I would definitely recommend for everyone to see A War, it is a good story about the family one leaves behind for the family he received when in the military and how though that can be on someone, and it's well done.