With the opening sequence itself, War makes its intention clear -- here is a film that is high on action. Structured as, what else but, a race-against-time thriller, it has the tropes of an action fare -- read double-crossing, protagonists resorting to disguises to escape, and last-minute twists. But that is not to say that the film suffers due to its cliches; instead, the Hrithik Roshan-versus-Tiger Shroff fare is one of the most enjoyable films of the year.

What War boils down to are the stunts, and director Siddharth Anand pulls out all stops to deliver sophisticated set-pieces with the help of action directors Paul Jennings, SeaYoung Oh, Parvez Shaikh, and Franz Spilhauz. Under their supervision, the two protagonists -- Shroff as Khalid Rahmani, an Army officer, and Roshan as his former mentor Kabir who has now gone rogue -- can perform aerial stunts, survive poison and knives passing through them. Improbable as the events may be, you will find yourself clapping and hooting for them, and herein lies the success of the film.

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Although reminiscent of stunts seen in Mission Impossible and the James Bond series, War offers skillful action pieces. A rooftop chase scene in Marrakech is shot on a wide-angle, allowing you to understand the toil and risk involved in constructing them. The climactic set-piece, the hyper-stylised car chase on a frozen lake in the Arctic Circle is spectacular, to say the least. Yet, the scene that makes the strongest impression is when the two actors go all guns blazing a la Mr & Mrs Smith. Daniel B George's background score adds to the thrill here.

Watch the trailer of War here:

The film, however, suffers due to its inconsistent pace and an unusually long runtime. Add to that, the predictable plot which sometimes goes onto defy logic.

While Roshan and Shroff wonderfully feed off each other’s creative energies, the film belongs to the senior actor — he, of the smoldering gaze and chiselled looks, will be the man crush of many. Shroff matches his mentor in naach gaana and maar-dhaad, and shows significant growth in his performance. Vaani Kapoor hardly has any screen time.

With hyper-stylised stunts, superlative cinematography and two sincere actors holding fort, War is a deliciously thrilling experience. Anand keeps the curiosity going by hinting at a sequel; I, for one, won't mind it.

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