A difficult film to like, and easy one to love

Rating: 8/10 (12 February 2018)

This is a long film that many viewers found trying, and in many ways it is a hard film to like. Compared to some of this director's other films (especially Goodfellas), the dialog is nor engaging and many of the characters are her to relate to. Nevertheless, there is a lot to love about this film. Compared to Sihmoda's 1971 film based on the same book, this film has a lot more to say about faith and does a much better job looking at two sides of a complex and deadly conflict. Much of the commentary on the acting has focussed on Andrew Garfield, who does indeed put in a fine performance, but I was most impressed by the performance of the Japanese actors, whose performances were so precisely right to the story and their characters. This movie will not be everyone's cup of tea, but it is an excellent film