The Water Diviner

source: The Water Diviner

I managed to get to a pre-screening at Orpheum, Cremorne NSW. Very glad I did as this was a refreshing change to the standard Aussie renditions of the Gallipoli story. The audience burst into applause at the conclusion of the movie me also. Having the Turkish view of the British and ANZAC invasion makes the film feel balanced as there are two sides to every conflict. The horrors of the campaign are relived by the story and the performances of the main characters are good I do feel the Turkish command got a good rap from this script. The trauma of a father searching for his Sons after 4 years of not knowing. The Greeks this time getting the spray, but 100 years on I see Greece as a firm ally but politics aside. Crowe, I actually liked in this movie the casting of the Turkish Mother and her young Son was good the casting of the Turkish Commander better, The British were as obnoxious as the Australians prefer to depict them. The film at 2 hours I never felt bored or restless and this I suspect is that the story is grasping it has War, Love, Heartache, Compassion and a little Hollywood to ensure appeal to wider non-Australian Turkish audiences. I rate this highly in the movies I have seen 2014...

This movie is a perfect example of what a storyline means for mainstream commercial cinema. You know that graphic with the ups and downs, how the story should go from positive to negative, how the protagonist should suffer and then recover, so on and so on? Here it is, LITERALLY, in the worst most obvious possible way. I can't remember the last movie i saw with all the possible clichés you could put in it, seriously, they don't even try to disguise it. The melodramatic music, the flashbacks, the suffering of the characters, the happy ending you can see coming from the first minutes, i mean, this movie has it all, all i say. I was shocked with the pace of the editing in the beginning, Russel wanted us to know everything right away, stuffing the needed information to start of the story plus the sad music on top wrapping it all up in the first 15 minutes, from then on it's all about his journey, which starts when he meets the beautiful secondary actress, and right there you know how that is gonna end for them, and believe me, this is no spoiler, it's just really damn obvious. The editing was awful the entire movie, putting together flashbacks with sentimental moments between him and the actress so that later you can understand that they are close enough to run away together, shame it was so fast edited and terribly "i've-seen-this-a-thousand- times-before". The directing had a lot to say about it, with some crazy framings, like some parts where the camera starts zooming into people faces, what's the idea there Russel? The color correction was so saturated at times, and so not saturated at times that at a certain part of the movie, i even thought that maybe i had downloaded an unfinished version of the movie, and damn i really wish i had. Editing should be something like a referee role in a football match, the least you notice him, the better, and in this movie it was all about the referee, i mean, yellows and red cards every five minutes. The story about the Gallipoli campaign is very interesting, but this was a total mission failed with clichés after clichés, the most awful editing and storytelling i've seen in a long time. The 2 out of 10 rating goes for the costume designs and the nice landscapes they shot the movie at. I decided to watch this movie because i like Russel and i trust a lot IMDb ratings, but the 7.7 it had is still a complete mystery to me. I don't like not-to-recommend movies, even if they're really bad like this one, it will help set a bar on your mind on how money can be wasted and how not so bad other movies you've seen before were.

For a man who has worked with some of the most accomplished and respected directors in the industry, from Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Peter Weir and Michael Mann just to name a few, you'd expect Australia's (although it should really be New Zealand's) very own Russell Crowe to have learnt a trick or two in the art of directing but sadly his debut The Water Diviner suffers from some uninspired and at times amateurish direction that halts any of its power it may have otherwise possessed. A huge hit here in Australia, with box office receipts of well over 10 million dollars, a huge feat here for a locally made film and with success at local industry awards, it's abundantly clear that the Water Diviner struck a chord with both audiences and critics alike. From this it's suffice to say that Crowe was obviously onto something in setting his story in the oft spoken about and patriotic battle of Gallipoli and the aftermath it would have on the Australian populace. In saying this though the film which is inspired by real events, fails to emotionally engage or resonate on anything more than a lower level, a judgement that can be based around Crowe's uninvolving directional style and a film style that suffers badly from countless and often unwarranted tonal shifts. It really feels like the Water Diviner had suffered an identity crisis in its development stages and no one was sure enough on how to fix it. We get a family drama, a love story, a few war set pieces, some politics and some cricket bat's being put to good use, but what we don't get is any of these becoming engaging in their own right. Just as one element of the film may be set to take hold of you and keep you glued to the screen, it disappears, only to be taken over by some awkward loving glances, a beat down with a Christian cross or a chase through a crowded Turkey set street. With so many things going on it's hard to feel much towards any of the characters and while Crowe is his usual gruff self, there's not a lot to write home about in regards to the acting states, although a moustached Jai Courtney, an underused Ryan Corr and Yilmaz Erdogan do have moments that suggest there was more to do with all their respective characters. The Water Diviner tries hard to be many things, a targeting at a mass market appeal that worked wonders for its financial success at local cinemaplexes and will no doubt work wonders for its shelf life in rental stores and in local's homes, fans that love nothing more than some patriotic tinged locally produced goodies. For fans of well-made cinema however, this is a hugely disappointing and only barely acceptable debut by Crowe, that suggests he has a long way to go before he reaches the heights of the directors his worked for. 2 games of train cricket out of 5 For more movie reviews and opinions check into - www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com

The new film from Russell Crowe's new production company "FEAR of GOD Films" is remarkable. Truly the BEST film Russell has ever made. In The Water Diviner the characters were real, with a depth of emotion and feeling not seen in many films today. The choice of actors was spot on and I could not find fault with any of their acting, from the young boy to the love interest. The parts of the Turkish sergeant and commander were played by men who gave their all and it showed. The roles played by the English and Australian officers was also commendable and their portrayed anxiety for the man wanting to visit Gallipoli, was done with a true sense of feeling and concern, even though this concern was misguided in this case. The locations for Gallipoli (near Pt. Lincoln)and other areas (Burra) were well chosen and apart from some scenes, were filmed at the South Australian Film Corporation on Greenhill Road, Adelaide, South Australia. The story is wonderful and who ever wrote the script is to be commended. If Russell and others in the cast are not recommended for the Academy and other Awards I will be most surprised. The film should be nominated for best film 2014 and best director. Many of the cast should be nominated for Awards in each of the relative roles. A Great film, a very commendable film, Russell's best and to date Greatest film. My belief is, that "The Water Diviner" is in the category of being one of the very best films made since WW2. A great film, made and directed by an Aussie too! The love interest between the farmer and the girl was tender and Russell's treatment of this was brilliant, whereby even a look between a man and a woman conveys all that is needed. 4.5 stars out of 5

Having read some of the recent reviews praising this film I thought I was onto a sure fire winner when walking into the movie theatre. Seeing as this was Crowe's directorial debut I was hoping that he was going to pull it off and provide a real cinematic belter. However I was sorely mistaken.. The first 10 minutes didn't disappoint and I'm including the credits. But as Mr Crowe travels to Istanbul on his little adventure it drastically takes a turn for the worse. The acting from then on in from all parties is woeful and the supposed love story is completely pathetic and unbelievable. I'm not going to go on and on but someone seriously needs to tell Crowe that being in every scene of the film doesn't really help people to warm to him. But please people save your hard earned cash and waiting till it comes out on telly. There are far far far better films out in the cinema at the moment.

I've just come back from the cinema after seeing this movie and will now be emailing everyone on my contact list that it is a 'must see' on the big screen. Not just for Australians, but for everyone, as it deals with universal themes. The cinematography is stunningly beautiful, the casting and acting is superb and the story is fascinating and never lags. A great blend of emotion and action, and the occasional bit of humour. Last August marked the 100th anniversary of the beginning of WW1, which influenced all our lives. It is so important for people everywhere, and especially young people to learn about what has happened in the past and to gain an understanding of history from the point of view of others, and to learn about their cultures too. This movie, set mainly in Turkey, about 4 years after the end of the war, is one small story of one man's search, set within a much larger story of the meaning and consequences of war. Superb acting and direction by Russel Crowe. Don't miss it !

Just another of Russell Crowe's self indulgent movies. The Ottoman Empire picked the wrong Allie during WW1 (Germany) and we are expected to feel that we Australians were the aggressors. From 1915 to 1921 the Ottoman Empire eliminated 1,000,000 of their neighbor's namely Assyrians and Greeks yet in Crowe's movie the Greeks are type cast as the bad guys. What a load of crap! The final escape by Crowe and his last surviving son was ludicrous with the invading Greeks mortaring the hillside just to blow up two non military and non Turkish individuals. Prior to that, in the train scene, Crowe managed to escape his Greek captives by hitting them with a cricket bat despite the fact that he had numerous weapons at his disposal. It is disappointing that in the 100th year anniversary of the Gallipolli campaign this over rated New Zealander can muddy the water and try to change the facts for the sake of making a few cheap bucks.

The quality of the acting and the production is first class. It is s well directed movie, hats off to Russell Crowe for his directorial debut. I really enjoyed the fact that the movie showed respect to the cultures depicted and kept things on a level playing field. During the screening it was very clear to me the audience was won over and totally engrossed in the movie, just as I was. Watched allot of movies in 2014, but this one is of a higher standard all round. This movie has the potential to be nominated for awards and any it wins would be well deserving. Special mention to Dylan Georgiades who was a delight to watch in the film. I rated this movie a 9/10, and I hope it is successful as it deserves to be, Russell Crowe has done it again.

When i saw this movie out, i said "i must watch it quickly !" Because i know there will be no movie about Gallipoli war like this for a long time. Hollywood never tried to enter this area. Luckily we have Russell Crowe, an Australian brave heart. It's true, you never know what reactions may come from people who lost their families at Gallipoli for both sides. He took hard responsibility for it and showed great courage. First, I want to criticize about dubbing. I really wanted to watch it with cast's original voices. I know it's meant to be for Turkish people who doesn't speak English but personally i didn't like it. Anyway, it's not about the movie so skip it. Sound, music, story, background, colors, special fx are high class and deserve to watch. The story balance is a bit to Turkish side as if it tries to give the message to ANZACs "why are you here even if you don't know where Turkey is on the map". It's just my opinion though. The story is absolutely heart touching, no doubt. At the very beginning, the movie already touched my heart by the war scene with a child soldier. It's very emotional moment for me because lots of child soldiers died during the WW1. And i can imagine Australian and NZ viewers (especially mothers) cry for Eliza's (Connor's wife) situation. For Turkish and Australia-NZ sides, the movie deserves very special place which can't be replaced. For the others, it is a very very good war drama you've watched in years.