Waar (2013)

Directed by: Bilal Lashari
Country: Pakistan

Movie Review: “Waar” is a Pakistani action thriller, result of the ideas from two debutants, filmmaker/cinematographer Bilal Lashari and screenwriter/producer Hassan Waqas Rana, and that’s noticeable along its two hours. The film is episodically divided, and despite a handful of good-looking images, it's disconnected, showing a lot of failed aspects. Spoken in a mixed language of Urdu and English, the film is also a frustrating blend of Bollywood sentimentality and Lollywood action. The story follows Major Mujtaba, a retired Pakistan army officer who is practically forced to defend his country from a serious terrorist threat. Used to work in the shadow, Mujtaba still struggles with the loss of his family, but eventually accepts to join the field operation leader, Ehtesham, and intelligence agent, Javeria, to dismantle the terrorist group and avoid a national catastrophe. The recurrent flashbacks didn’t work, and “Waar” simply didn’t intrigue me, nor catch my attention, nor surprised me, defrauding my expectations created when I realized this was a massive local success in its country of origin. The final physical fight was more trivial than invigorating, while Amir Munawar’s score was annoying and invasive. All the clichés can be found there – the lost, suffering heroes; the evil enemies; the same old words; the awaited conclusions… I believe this local crowd-pleaser will continue to be a cult film for many, but I couldn’t help being unexcited with the pointless counter-terrorism presented by Lashari and Rana.