The Water Diviner

"The Water Diviner" stars Russell Crowe and also represents his directorial debut.
Those very familiar with the events that occurred in World War I and, in particular, Gallipoli, Turkey,
will appreciate more than most who was fighting who and what the battle meant to
the nation of Australia and its soldiers who died there.  If not familiar with these events, the viewer will be unable to easily follow the issues at stake and the identity of the combatants on the field.

Although the film attempts to portray the horrors of war and the needless losses of life,
it fails as a good theatrical experience.
The film in many ways is concocted  and its story confusing and difficult to believe, (even though it
is supposedly based on a true story). The editing room and splicing machine deserved a more
experienced hand and eye than the ones possessed by Mr. Crowe. Also, Mr. Crowe seems to hold back and be unnaturally restrained in scenes that warrant a more emotional commitment. My guess is that, as the director, he held back in deference to the actor/director role he was playing..

A better written story would have also been a tremendous asset and perhaps mitigated many of the film's shortcomings. Regrettably, in its present form, it is a long and difficult movie to sit through and watch. I counted 3X that I looked at my watch. One must acknowledge the wonderful photography and, with that in mind, I give the film 2 and 1/2 stars with a suggestion that the director not turn down any future acting jobs and continue to do that which he does best.. If you'll forgive the obvious pun, this movie is nothing for him to "Crowe" about.