War

Part of the shared YRF Spy Universe, 2019's War stars Hrithik Roshan as Major Kabir Dhaliwal, the best agent of R&AW who goes rogue forcing his prized pupil Captain Khalid Rahmani (Tiger Shroff) to go after him. Kabir's struggles with initially training Khalid (although the film is dripping with homoerotic overtones regardless whether they are working together or opposed in any individual scene), and his reasons for later going rogue, are shown in extended flashbacks finally uncovering the motivation for the spy's killing spree and ultimate goal.

Despite its limited budget for a movie of this scale, the script has big aspirations showcasing multiple locations in India as well as Turkey and the Arctic Circle. Some of these sequences, including the final confrontation between Khalid and Kabir feel very much like set pieces our characters have conveniently wandered into.

Using both the extended flashbacks and then a later twist involving Khalid as well, the film keeps from labeling our protagonist and antagonist for as long as possible. The flashbacks to Kabir's last mission include Vaani Kapoor as an asset and love interest who becomes one of many victims of the ever illusive terrorist Rizwan Iiyasi whom Kabir chases throughout the film.

The action is enjoyable, if not all that memorable, as War feels very much like a middling action flick with heavy Indian influences (including, of course, some dance numbers). While there are other pieces to the script, the film is ultimately a struggle of will between these two men which only one can win meaning the actually villain of the piece is largely an afterthought. It also includes some notably absurd twists before we get to the film's climax requiring a high level of disbelief on the level of 1997's Face/Off or The World is Not Enough which you may, or may not be prepared to accept.

Watch the trailer

• Title: War
• IMDb: link