Mea Culpa: This is really more of a partial review as I actually had a…well, a difficult time staying “fully conscious” during this movie. Part of that is my fault, but I will say that the thirty minutes or so of this movie that I missed really didn’t make me want to go back and re-watch it either.
I guess it’s embarrassing for a reviewer to admit falling asleep during a movie, but the fact that I don’t feel all that guilty about it perhaps speaks to just how little I enjoyed the part of this movie I did see.
What Works: This is big, rousing filmmaking against a historical backdrop. It’s no surprise that Russell Crowe (clearly partial to historical epics from “Master and Commander” to “Cinderella Man” to, obviously, “Gladiator”) would be drawn to this material for his directorial debut. Older audiences will probably enjoy it more than younger ones, and it highlights the important Battle of Gallipolli that most American audiences will be unfamiliar with, so it might have taught me a thing or two…
What Doesn’t: …If I had been more interested in what was depicted onscreen. Even though the subject matter is relatively unknown to American audiences, it felt like a generic historical epic I’d seen before. Everything about it felt just a little too stale and safe, and even though it’ll be interesting to see what project Crowe chooses next as a director, maybe he shouldn’t cast himself in the lead role next time out.
What I Would Have Done Differently: If someone really wanted to learn more about these events, maybe they should track down the acclaimed Peter Weir-directed “Gallipoli” starring a young Mel Gibson long before he disgraced himself.