Sienna Miller and Dominic West’s divorce drama War is cutthroat TV at its best

I like to live a harmonious life – but every now and then, a bit of hair-raising drama is good for the soul, like a sip of chicken soup on a frosty day. Especially if that drama is fictional.

War drew me in from the very start, before I knew what it was really about. Sienna Miller vs Dominic West, two of Britain’s biggest acting heavyweights, going head to head in a David and Goliath-style battle for the ages. I was invested from this detail alone.

But then I started the show, and it sucked me in in a way I didn’t expect. It reminded me of bingeing Succession for the first time while on a long-haul flight. Many of these characters were despicable, driven by ambition and greed – yet I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

Sky’s new drama War depicts not one, but a multitude of battles. We have the divorce between famous actress Carla Duval and tech titan Morgan Henderson.

There’s the tension brewing between the rival law firms vying to win big over their lucrative split, fighting tooth and nail to defeat their opponents, with whom they have a personal, bitter history.

Then there’s the inner politics. Within the law firms, they pretend to play fair while all secretly plotting dirty tactics to get the leg up on their foes, while also competing with their colleagues to be the top dogs.

The claws are out between bitter exes Carla (Sienna Miller) and Morgan (Dominic West) (Picture: Sky/HBO/New Pictures/Justin Downing) Beatrice (Nina Sosanya) is one of the ruthless lawyers in Morgan’s corner (Picture: Sky/HBO/Sam Taylor) Serena (Phoebe Fox) is on the other side, but has history with Beatrice (Picture: Sky/HBO/New Pictures)

I’ve never worked in a law firm, so can’t attest whether ploys like the ones in the drama actually happen – but my flabbers were sufficiently gasted.

I haven’t seen Sienna on screen in a while, perhaps since Anatomy of a Scandal in 2022. She might be playing a character with a life not too dissimilar to her own – an actress known globally who’s constantly in the spotlight – but Carla is nothing like her.

When I met Sienna in person for our War interview, she appeared very warm and approachable. Carla has an icy demeanour, one that she’s built to protect herself from scrutiny and further hurt from her husband. An understandable course of action considering what she’s been through.

As for Dominic, he’s gained somewhat of a reputation for playing unfaithful husbands. One of his best-known roles is opposite Ruth Wilson in the critically acclaimed drama The Affair.

A lot of the animosity between the warring couple is hidden behind picture-perfect smiles (Picture: Sky/HBO/Miya Mizuno) Johnny (Archie Renaux) enters the picture as an ambitious young lawyer desperate to rise the ranks (Picture: Sky/HBO/New Pictures/Justin Downing) St John (Pip Torrens) is an especially ruthless figure behind the scenes (Picture: Sky/HBO/New Pictures)

During our chat, I brought up the fact that I last spoke to him when he starred as then-Prince Charles in The Crown – another complicated marriage, another bitter divorce.

War has a predictable trajectory – as if the divorce is going to be settled right away. This is a TV drama, so we know it’s going to escalate to a big showdown. Nevertheless, as they say, it’s about the journey, not the destination. 

Celia Imrie is a delicious addition to the cast, swooping in to add a touch of mischief when the rest of the lawyers are flailing in their despair, while Shadow and Bone star Archie Renaux brings the perfect dose of arrogance to his character Johnny, a budding lawyer who’ll seemingly cross any line to crush his competition. 

I can’t lie – I found the ending quite anticlimactic given how fraught the hostility is from the moment the series begins.

But that doesn’t take away from how engrossing I found it. If this is the start of a long-running anthology series about warring law firms, sign me up.

War premieres on Friday October 2 on Sky and streaming service NOW.

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