The possible ramifications of an act of nuclear terrorism are brought to potent and disturbing life in this docudrama. Set in the very near future, Dirty War follows a group of Scotland Yard agents who have learned that a terrorist cell in London has manufactured and intend to detonate a dirty bomb -- a small thermonuclear device that gives off a tremendous amount of radiation so that its deadly effects linger for many months after the explosion. The police are unable to stop the terrorists before the bomb goes off in Londons financial district, and it soon becomes obvious that the city was dangerously ill-prepared for such an event; as hospitals and emergency personnel struggle to deal with the aftereffects of the disaster, officials attempt to downplay the severity of the attack, an action that has unseen consequences of its own. Dirty War was produced in a collaboration between the BBC and the American premium cable network HBO, who first aired the film in the United States. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide