An emotional journey to find the lost sons of a man who has lost everything

Rating: 7/10 (24 February 2015)

This directorial debut from Russell Crowe is an emotional tale of a fathers journey to find his lost sons that is full of love and hope. This movie, for a first time director was mostly well directed and very beautifully shot. The cinematography really engages you in the film both during and away from the action, it adds to the quality and overall enjoyment of the film. Russell Crowe's performance was as always just amazing, he really put a lot of emotion into his character and that showed through his endless efforts to not give up on a promise he made to his wife. The longer this movie goes on the more you realise that this is not only about a search for his sons but a movie showing the determination of an individual who has lost everything and will not lose any more. Apart from Russell the other performances were also well done, mainly by both Olga Kurylenko and Jai Courtney but they never really stood out too much.
One issue i had is that the first third of the film during Russell's introduction to Istanbul, spent too much time focusing on establishing the supporting characters, i wanted it to move on to the main plot rather than spending more time there. Some of his other visits to this location felt more meaningful and interesting, if only they had shortened his initial visit. Also there were some co- incidences that i didn't really buy into during his time in Gallipoli and a potential romance that was pretty predictable right from the beginning, small issues, nothing major. Russell Crowe's directorial debut, despite some minor flaws, was an emotional and at times intense film that hopefully gets recognised outside of Australia. - 7.6
P.S - If you don't tear up towards the end of the film, well then you have no soul.