Nice family drama with occasional tears

Rating: 8/10 (5 January 2015)

Contains minor spoilers which won't ruin the plot.
The Water Diviner is a fine example of storytelling. It has nothing extraordinary but it also lacks almost nothing in its genre.
Positives: Supporting cast delivers well.
Yılmaz Erdoğan once again proves himself ready for international cinema. After his success at Palme D'or winner "Once upon a time in Anatolia", this is easily his second best work. His character is quite complex with many inner conflicts. He is a former architect with a conscience who is forced (although he believes in the cause) to take part in a terrible war.
Former bond girl Olga Kurylenko also impresses playing a free spirit in a very conservative country. She mastered a rather difficult language flawlessly in what appears to be relatively short time. Most of the people in the theater thought she was Turkish.
Steve Bastoni and Ryan Corr leaves the audience wishing they had more screen time. Without ruining the plot I must say; Ryan Corr's character deserves a movie of its own.
Young actor Dylan Georgiades was the one who impressed me the most. 12 year old actor delivers in so many levels. We may be witnessing the birth of a future star in the Water Diviner.
Story is well told with minor fantasy elements. As with most of the war movies, it tells the story of the people, not the war. Turnoil in Ottoman Empire is shown in the background. It is not given in detail but it makes you wanna take a history book and read. There are many humorous moments in the movie trying to lighten the drama.
Andrew Lesnie, who worked as a cinematographer in LOTR franchise, works his magic with various light plays. There are a couple of incredible scenes for the film geeks like me. He is definitely the right man for this movie.
Russell Crowe does a fine job for his debut, movie has the personal scent all over it. Sandstorm scene shown in the trailers is incredibly well shot, it alone may be worth to see this film. Introduction of his character is rather funny because we see a close-shot of his muscles. Maybe thats why all these actors shoot their own movies ^^.
Negatives: Some plot holes especially in the character developments of some support characters. Turkish Comedian Cem Yılmaz's character makes major leaps which are all not well / properly explained.
What disturbed me the most was how the Greeks were displayed in the movie. They were like the ugly end-boss, all bloodthirsty. Water Diviner was so close not to be a propaganda movie. I doubt thats what Russel Crowe had in his mind but Russell, you can't just condemn an entire race.
One other negative point is the excess drama. There are various scenes I found it to be longer than it should be.
At some scenes it feels like Russell Crowe as a director is trying to tell so many things at the same time, losing the main focus.
Overall; it is a good family drama, nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. You'll learn some history, witness an awful, bloody war, meet with interesting characters from very different, interesting cultures.
7.5 out of 10