The Turkish government’s genocide of the Armenian people in World War 1, at a time when it was allied with Germany, is a historical occurrence that deserves to be better known, so any film that sheds light on the event is welcome.
Set during the time of the atrocity, the greater focus of the film is on the love triangle between Armenians Mikael (Oscar Isaac) and Ana (Charlotte Le Bon) plus American reporter Chris Myers (Christian Bale). Inevitably, too much time is spent on the machinations of these three. Not only does that take the audience away from the more interesting parts of the film, it is troublesome because we are clearly meant to be rooting for Mikael. This is a man who takes money from his fiancée’s father, has an affair with Chris’ girlfriend, but then still goes ahead with his marriage. Whilst he is doing that, Chris is risking his own life whilst bringing the government’s actions to the attention of the world.
The other issue is Le Bron. She does not convince at all as someone who is meant to be so alluring that two men would vie for her. If they had removed her character entirely and concentrated on Chris’ reporting and Mikael trying to save his family, the film would have been much more successful. As it is, there is enough of that in the film to enable it overcome its shortcomings. There are some genuinely exciting moments towards the end of the movie. The last stand of Mikael’s group of refugees was reminiscent of a good old fashioned western and Chris’ attempts to escape to tell the tale is edge of the seat stuff. Unfortunately, all that tension is dissipated with a soapy ending.
So, a real mixed bag, but with enough historical insight to make it worthy viewing.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10