And with one leap he was free...

Rating: 5/10 (5 April 2015)

I went to this film with a completely open mind and with no preconceptions or hang-ups about Russell Crowe. All I knew was that it covered the aftermath of the Gallipoli campaign in WW1. The first section of the film is set in Australia and to my mind is the most effective, dealing as it does with the trauma of a family that has lost 3 sons in the war. Anger, blame and guilt are effectively portrayed and the cinematography is stunningly beautiful. It is only when Crowe sets off to Turkey to try and locate the site of his son's deaths that the film begins to go off track and credulity is stretched beyond breaking point. Enter a sweet boy whose mother is also the most beautiful woman in Turkey and you already begin to realise we are being set up for a romantic ending. Add in stereotypical British cad officer with haughty attitude, rough and ready Aussies, good/bad Turkish locals who sing and dance at the drop of a fez and the palate is full and ready to be splashed all over the filmic canvas. The ensuing hunt and chase is reminiscent of Sapper and John Buchan at their Boy's Own worst and as unbelievable. There was a film here that had possibilities but it eventually got lost in the need to make it an action movie. The denouement shows our hero doing the "and with one leap he was free" action - literally. This was marginally better than sitting in and watching the Saturday night telly which is not saying much if truth be told. Would I take time to watch it again when it appears on the small screen? No.