La Promesse d'une vie

Russell Crowe delves into making his own film, which revolves around Australian wartime history and the battle in Turkey, which ended tragically for the Australian side. Crowe is a good actor and manages to carry the whole film quite well, but here he's not trying to stand out, even though he succeeds. The film is sometimes overly sentimental and plays it safe too much, but I got through it without much trouble. (02/07/2015)

This is a very mixed film for me. Considering it’s a directorial debut, Russell Crowe’s first attempt, it’s quite impressive (other rookie directors would envy this, right?). However, the almost fairy-tale quality with a forced emotional ending (which, undeniably, worked perfectly, my emotions were touched) slightly brings the film down in my eyes. In terms of visual presentation, I have no complaints. The perfect exteriors complemented by flawless camera work were a success. Crowe acted well, though he overacted a bit at times, but it was bearable. The character of the Turkish major was particularly striking, bringing a refreshing element to the film. The idea of searching for lost sons might sound great on paper, but the execution was lacking. The ending, where Crowe, as a father, dreams of the place where his last son is now, then sets out and simply finds him, all seems a bit too fantastical. But I’ll overlook this and still give it four stars, though I might lower it over time. 70%. (10/08/2018)