A real let down

Rating: 6/10 (6 May 2001)

Luckily for me I have not got round to reading the literature upon which this movie is supposedly based on. I say luckily because my opinion on the film would probably have been far more harsh than the one I have at the moment. The problem with the film is that it just doesn't seem to want to do anything for itself. It is more than content with simply letting the camera rove around the spectacular scenery. Don't get me wrong it is breath-taking to watch some beautiful things, but if I wanted to see that and that only I would watch the discovery channel or holiday programmes.
John Madden had promised so much from his recent efforts, and had showed his audience that he was more than capable of handling drama in such a way as to make us care about the characters. However, this just isn't possible. Maybe there is something wrong with the script, because there is so little dialogue that sticks out. Maybe there was some concern from the studio as to the length of the film, it certainly feels as though it has had huge chunks taken away from it, because no studio in the world would let such a shallow piece of writing be made.
One almost feels as though the spectacle of the novel and its success may well have been enough to secure money, and a big box office, and so the writing of dialogue took second place to everything else. I mean look at the cast that they were able to secure, Cage, Bale, Hurt, Cruz, four actors whose most recent films have made them A-list quality. It has all the ingredients to be a film remembered and admired.
The cast though is, mostly dreadful. Nicolas Cage, who is said to have Italian decendancy is mocking in his performance and although he tries to shape off this loveable nonchalant man, the accent simply makes him look mugging. Penelope Cruz walks around for two hours pouting and refusing to drop the accent which is here forte. Hurt gives a solid performance though and Bale continues to play good supporting roles.
The films biggest pratfall though is its confusion to let the audience know what it is actually trying to tell us. There is, what feels like, a love story but why is there love. There is no occasions upon which any chemistry happens, nor incidents which would make two people love each other, only once does he play the mandolin for her. There is also the war story which takes up half of the film and really makes you empathise with Correlis plight but that soon wilts away as the love story comes back. It would have been predictable had the film had any direction, but by never finsihing anything it starts and by leaving the audience asking why it simply fizzles out.
Readers of the book will probably say 'its not the book, but it is still brilliant' but the fact is that book or not, it is a badly acted film which is unsure of what it is functioning as love story/ war movie/ moral tale/ national pride. It is unclear and very much a let down.