This ain't cricket . . .

Rating: 8/10 (4 May 2015)

. . . as director Russell Crowe's "Joshua Connor" character takes up a cricket bat at THE WATER DIVINER's pivot point to join in on the extermination of Greek and Armenian Christians during the darkest days of the Muslim-perpetrated genocide in Turkey from 1915 through 1919. It's especially shocking that the Vatican seems to be talking out of both sides of its mouth this Spring. On the one hand, the Pope is raising a ruckus by insisting that the Turks 'Fess up to their Crimes against Humanity. On the other, His representatives on the U.S. MPAA Film Censoring Board (see *THIS MOVIE IS NOT YET RATED) have NOT slowed the advance of Mr. Crowe's wrong-headed revisionism into the American multiplex by giving THE WATER DIVINER its kiss-of-death, the NC-17 rating. Apparently, we simpletons must be warned of "historical smoking scenes" with "R" ratings, but Holocaust Deniers such as Mr. Crowe get off Scot Free!