THE WATER DIVINER (Russell Crowe). 111 minutes. Opens Friday (April 24). Rating: NN
Where to watch: iTunes
Russell Crowe plays a guy who digs wells in his directorial debut, a movie looking to drown you in emotions. The Water Diviner is an old-fashioned and over-stuffed melodrama set after the First World War. Crowe and his writing team milk the tragedy, lather the romance on with a spatula and even throw in some adventure, presumably because they got bored.
He plays Connor, an Australian farmer who travels to Gallipoli to find his three sons’ bodies. They likely died together in the devastating battle, and Connor figures his mystic power to find water in parched land will help him track their bones – God knows how. Along the way he meets a beautiful local widow named Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko) and her adorable son, both promising a familiar new start, and a Turkish major (Yilmaz Erdogan) who graciously aids his former enemy’s search.
There may be a scent of white imperialism to a story in which the Turkish characters are here to serve Connor, but it comes with the territory. Crowe does try to waft it away by affording the Turks an admirable degree of respect. The movie’s most noble trait is how frequently it reminds us that both sides suffer in war.
However, casting Ukrainian-born Kurylenko as Ayshe (and having her Turkish lines dubbed) is one awkward choice of many.
