Sky Force

Contemporary Indian military action dramas are rife with familiar tropes: flag-waving rhetoric aimed at a rival nation (usually Pakistan), tributes to the sacrifices of a soldier's family, intense frontline combat, and, of course, at least one poignant death. These films traffic in terror, rage, and tears - a surefire formula for commercial success. So it's no surprise we get at least one every year, most of them destined for box-office glory.

Yet, just fifteen minutes into Sky Force, a military drama about India's first-ever airstrike, there is a creeping sense that this is not....