​FILMS

the water diviner

2015 review number 6:

The Water Diviner: (Drama): 72 out of 100: This is Russell Crowe's directorial debut and he proves himself as adept behind the camera as he is in front of the camera. It's a return to his homeland after not being in an Australian film for several years. And a welcome return it is.

Crowe plays Joshua Connor, an Australian farmer who travels to Turkey to try to locate his missing sons, four years after the battle of Gallipoli in World War I in which many lives were lost. He stays in a hotel run by Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) with whom he forges a relationship. With the help of a Turkish officer, Major Hasan played by Yilmaz Erdogan, he discovers the fate of his three sons.

The battle scenes are convincing with the sound effects reverberating in the cinema. The editing must also be commended for it ensures that the scenes haven't resorted to quick cuts which can often be a downfall of action scenes. Most impressive of all the technical aspects of the film is the cinematography which brilliantly captures the Turkish landscape. The music score is also a highlight, perfectly creating the mood of the movie.

Crowe delivers a heartfelt performance as the grieving father. He makes the audience believe that he is traumatised and makes us feel for his plight. Although he has extracted excellent performances from the rest of his cast, the story through no fault of his own, is a little trite at times especially in how some matters are resolved, which require you to suspend disbelief. Also, the relationship between Ayshe and Connor needed to be developed further because it just seemed to be added to create a romantic interest.

"The Water Diviner" is a fine directorial debut by Russell Crowe and it will be interesting to see where this leads to in his career. There are many capable actor/directors like Robert Redford and Clint Eastwood and he just might be added to that list in the future.

Starring Russell Crowe, Olga Kurylenko, Yilmaz Erdogan and Jai Courtney
(111 minutes)
Parental advice: Violence and adult themes
Additional scenes during or after credits: No
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8CkLC4Zr2Mw (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Wednesday 21st January, 2015)

 

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