I am a huge fan of Russell Crowe. His choice of material is usually impeccable and he has worked with some of the best filmmakers of the past 25 years. The chance to see his directorial debut pre-release followed by a Q&A with the man himself was irresistible.

 

THE WATER DIVINER is a beautifully made film. The visuals are often stunning. There are some very memorable sequences. But overall the picture is very uneven. The tone shifts radically and at times it seems like two completely different pictures. 

The early sequence where Crowe's character Connor finds water is one of those wonderful sequences and explains where the title comes from. But that's not what the story is about, so this title does the picture no favors. THE WATER DIVINER is about a man who is motivated to travel to Turkey to recover the remains of his three sons who died in the Battle of Gallipoli four years earlier. I don't want to spoil what that motivation is, but it is quite dramatic and it's another one of the more memorable sequences.

After a little setup and back story, Connor sets off on his journey and that's when the tone starts shifting. Considering what his mission is and what motivated him, I expected Connor to be obsessed and relentless in a very dramatic way. With Crowe playing the role, you can imagine how Connor could be a force of nature. But he's not. He is obsessed and relentless, but some of that is played for comic effect. And in one main part of his mission, his mind is changed so quickly, that it was shocking and rang false.

The sequences that take place at the inn with Olga Kurylenko's Ayshe and son are the ones that are of a totally different tone, more romantic comedy than harrowing drama, and they seem to belong in a different picture. While on their own, they are entertaining, they are just so disjointed from the main narrative that it affects the flow of the story.

I have mixed feelings about Jai Courtney. Loved him in JACK REACHER, didn't respond to him at all in A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD or the DIVERGENT pictures, but he does very good work here as the Lt-Col who is in charge of identifying and burying the remains of the soldiers. 

In the Q&A, Crowe explained how deeply he connected to the screenplay, which motivated him to star in and direct the picture. As he is an Australian and this battle is a big part of their history, it's clear why the story spoke to him, I just wish he had a better screenplay to work with. THE WATER DIVINER is a mixed bag of a debut for Crowe as a Director, but if you like Crowe or are interested in the material, there is certainly enough to warrant seeing it.

STARRING:

Russell Crowe

Olga Kurylenko

Jai Courtney

Cem Yılmaz

Yılmaz Erdoğan

 

DIRECTED BY:

Russell Crowe

 

RELEASE DATE:

April 24, 2015

 

DISTRIBUTED BY:

Warner Bros.

 

RATED R