Strong movie, if a little underwhelming

Rating: 8/10 (29 January 2018)

Cinematically beautiful, well paced and superbly acted drama that kept me well engaged throughout. Despite this though, I was a touch underwhelmed due to the reputation this has as an Oscar-winning tearjerker. What holds this film back from greatness is the lack of likeability of the lead character. Don't get me wrong, Ralph Fiennes is on incredible form with the script he's given, but am I the only one that can't quite get behind a character that so blatantly and unscrupulously makes a play on a married woman? I was rooting more for Colin Firth to take him out with the duster than for the romantic leads to 'live happily ever after'. I just can't shed any tears for the woes of a pair of romantic leads that are so boldly engaging in adultery. That so many people have done I think speaks more about the decline in moral standards in society than anything else.
Wonderfully made picture, but the questionable morality holds it back from true greatness. The production code used to get stick back in the golden age, but it was there to make sure pictures were made to deliver the right messages.