Great story handled inconsistently

Rating: 5/10 (10 September 2007)

The bits I liked first. Both the leads were better than I'd anticipated, particularly Kiera, who I've not had much time for as her previous attempts have been stilted and wooden in some cases. She's matured into a nice actress and her part came across as very believable. James McAvoy likewise did a great job although his accent was quite variable. Vanessa Redgrave was simply stunning. Her role was made difficult because it was so small and so important. Every moment had to be convincing and it was perfectly judged. I hadn't read the book which I'm glad about and I shall now go out and buy it. The story was fabulous with a stunning ending which I think would have been spoiled if you'd already read the book. This needs to be a shock and I'd imagine its anticipation would only water its effects down. What wasn't so good was the directors inconsistent handling of the script. There were some nice scenes when the two leads played together but there were also too many scenes that were heavy handed and a few quite laughable. The most expensive scene in the film on the Dunquerk beach was horrendously camp and self aware which was a shame. You could almost see the AD's q'ing the cast, horse and dog handlers and viz effects guys. There was also some dodgy casting and the guy who married Lola needed a quick word in his ear about his woodeness. It's probably not in the book but I would have liked a few more scenes of the two leads together to show their attraction to one another. We needed a little more detail of their depth of feeling so their separation is more poignant. Overall the film was a little frustrating because with a better director it could have been a great film but his heavy handedness got in the way too many times.