Other countries often refer to the British as the 'best technocrats in the world' and when you see this film the audience will understand why. From the very first moment this movie has the viewer on the edge of their seat, that is just astonishing considering that the dry subject matter should really send us all to sleep. Essentially, the viewer is a fly on the wall to what seems to be an everyday, peacetime policy unit responding to a fictional geopolitical situation that involves the release of strategic nuclear weapons in a conflict between Pakistan and India. The most incredible thing of all....the guidelines were 100% real, in that what the cast's guidelines and decisions was (is?) the actual policy the British created to deal with regional and global nuclear war.
I cannot recommend this movie enough, everyone must try and grab a copy, sit down and wait to be enthralled. A word of warning, this is not a Michael bay movie with huge, shiny control panels, levers, knobs and buttons, War Book is the real deal, where highly-skilled civil servants role the dice on nuclear annihilation in an desperate attempt to save mankind.
Another interesting aspect of the film is the interaction between the various members of the unit which plays out very well indeed and should be recommended watching for anyone fascinated by intense social interaction, which, by example, shines through the dreadful mediocrity we often see in contemporary drama.
In closing, I've saved the best part for last, unbeknown to the majority of the policy unit, the situation they are war-gaming might not be so fictional after all.............
