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Saw this last night, and its a good one with Russell Crowe; mildly accepted by the critical press.
Crowe is an Aussie father who loses three sons enlisted in the ANZAC forces, in the Turkish battle of Gallipoli (1915), and later loses his wife indirectly to the same event. He goes in search for the sons' remains on the battlefield, hoping to apply his mystical talent for finding things underground (hence the title).
This one was widely protested by descendants of Gallipoli victims in several European countries because of its portrayal of Turks as victims. In places, it was pulled from theaters. First shown to Australian and New Zealander audiences; rightfully so.
The strength of this movie is not in its historical accuracy. The post-war vibe at the time of his visit is that, 'hey, we were all just dumbasses out here shooting each other', much like that in Vietnam today. The difference is that the Turks' war was continuing at that time, but with the Greeks. This was the end of the Ottoman Empire, with the Brits and others trying to lay claim to the Turk region. Turkey was not yet a recognized nation of itself.
Crowe directed this and got tremendous work from other actors. Olga Kurylenko, a beautiful woman, last seen by me in 'Hitman' as a gorgeous hooker, played a grieving Turkish woman running a hotel. She lost a husband during the war; loss being the unifying theme that makes this movie work. Turkish filmmaker and actor, Yilmaz Erdogan, was also terrific as a former Turk officer turned underground leader. Not a name that you see often; he plays a tough but compassionate military man. Another theme that rolls throughout is compassion for the victimized dead and their grieving kin.
Other criticism centers around trying to portray too many big themes in one movie. The futility of war is a big topic to combine with epic adventure and love among the grief fields.
I think this is a great film. The story is greater than the sum of parts, any particular theme (there are several), or any singular performance. You'll be sucked into this one very quickly. By all means, do see it, but I caution about some of the battlefield scenes. It is not sanitized for viewers. It makes me want to go learn more about these events.
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Topic - The 'Water Diviner' now on the HBO listing. - free.ranger 07:30:50 01/09/16 (3)
- RE: great reveiw - user510 22:54:13 01/11/16 (0)
- Agreed, wife and I both liked it. She almost walked out early on and was glad she didn't^ - Road Warrior 14:32:12 01/09/16 (0)
- Been debating whether to pursue or not... - musetap 12:11:32 01/09/16 (0)
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