Tech billionaire Morgan Henderson and film star Carla Duval are heading for a split, and two rival London law firms are ready to turn their marriage into a contest. Before the first episode is over, you can see how quickly a private grievance becomes a public weapon.
George Kay, who created Lupin and Hijack, gives the story a brisk, scheming rhythm. Lead director Ben Taylor oversees a cast led by Dominic West and Sienna Miller, with Archie Renaux as Johnny Warren, an ambitious young lawyer trying to break into this expensive world. West makes Morgan’s confidence feel like entitlement with a very good solicitor. Miller gives Carla a cooler, harder edge; even when others discuss her as a client or a threat, she feels capable of upsetting their plans.
The lawyers are the real attraction. Phoebe Fox and James McArdle make partnership look like its own delicate negotiation, while the rival firm brings another set of egos to the table. Johnny offers a useful way in, though the episode spends a little too long arranging his place in the story.
There’s a glossy pleasure in watching these people size one another up. Kay’s dialogue is sharp, and the opening keeps the manoeuvring clear while establishing a world driven by money, reputation and winning. There are plenty of names and loyalties to absorb, but it finds its momentum.
As a first episode, War does its job remarkably well: it makes you want to see who lands the next blow.