tug of war

As Alma reconciles this moral tug of war she’s found herself in, Roberts digs her nails into the opportunity of a lifetime, taking on the role of an unlikeable, power-hungry, exasperated woman on the verge with delectable aplomb.

A tug of war is unfolding here, between airport authorities and one of Indonesia's most cherished pastimes.

In one confrontation, Mears lunged at a man and took a mobile phone from him after a "tug of war".

In another film, this tug of war between past and present might produce an overly sentimental final act, where the main character comes to terms with the former life that’s haunted him since he arrived home.

In a number of European countries, national legal systems appear caught in the middle in a new era of deep divisions and suspicions in society - leading to a tug of war between populist politicians and their detractors - each accusing the other of using the judiciary to protect their own political interests.