War review where Dominic West and Sienna Miller go to battle in George Kay's legal drama

[LAKnight_King]

Variety has reviewed War, the new legal drama from HBO and Sky, and the verdict is a thrilling one. The series comes from George Kay, the writer behind Lupin, Hijack and Killing Eve, with Ben Taylor directing. Dominic West plays tech billionaire Morgan Henderson and Sienna Miller plays film star Carla Duval, a high profile couple whose divorce turns into a war between two rival London law firms. It premieres on HBO and HBO Max on 1 October, with Sky handling the UK side

The clever twist is that the show is as much about the lawyers as the couple. On one side are Cathcarts and on the other Taylor and Byrne, with the supporting cast including James McArdle, Phoebe Fox, Celia Imrie, Pip Torrens, Nina Sosanya, Emma Laird and Archie Renaux. Married lawyers working the case add another layer to the betrayals. It sounds like a mix of Succession style power games with a courtroom thriller

The wider critical reaction has been mostly positive, though not unanimous. TheWrap called it slick, with witty and crisp dialogue and a superb supporting cast, but felt the pacing slowed and some subplots meandered. RogerEbert.com was cooler, saying it bares its teeth but lacks bite, while the AV Club wondered whether it could be HBO's next Succession or Industry. That spread of opinion is about what you would expect for a talky prestige drama. Shows like this often grow on people over several episodes. Early reviews only tell part of the story

It is also an anthology, with two seasons already ordered. Series 2 moves on to an explosive defamation case with a new cast led by Marisa Tomei, Kelly Macdonald, David Harewood and Richard Schiff. That format worked well for things like True Detective and Big Little Lies, and it means the first story should get a proper ending rather than being stretched out. Filming took place at OMA X Film Studios in Enfield, so it is very much a London production

Despite the title, there are no battlefields here, just divorce lawyers and very expensive arguments, which is about as violent as British drama gets. West playing a tech mogul feels like solid casting after his years of charming rogues, and Miller has been on a strong run lately. Is anyone planning to watch? And can a legal drama with no action scenes hold an audience over a full series?

'War' Review: Dominic West and Sienna Miller's Thrilling HBO Dramavariety.com