The Movie:

The Water Diviner offers a unique take on a war drama, one that focuses on the emotional aftermath of battle. As a Turk, I have to also admit that its respectful and levelheaded portrayal of Turkish culture is a big plus. If only it didn't get bogged down by an overly melodramatic approach, a convoluted screenplay, and bland cinematography that makes the whole project look like a made-for-network-TV movie. Yes, unfortunately The Water Diviner's visual aesthetic can't even match the quality of a made-for-cable film, and that's bad news for a theatrical feature that was supposed to represent a grand epic period drama akin to classic Hollywood epic melodramas of yesteryear.

A lot of the blame for The Water Diviner's subpar visual and narrative style, which shows a lack of ingenuity and originality, can probably be put on the shoulders of director/star Russell Crowe. Some movie stars can ease into becoming directors without much of an awkward transitional phase; some stars can even successfully pull off starring in their directorial debuts. Orson Welles is the obvious choice, but we can even go with decent genre efforts like Play Misty For Me as an example of a star naturally being able to direct himself while also constructing a solid feature.

Crowe, on the other hand, looks like he stretched himself too thin. His mumbly and depthless performance makes him look like his mind was constantly on his directorial duties while he was in front of the camera, and vice versa. Perhaps letting go of one of these duties and reserving his directorial debut for a less ambitious project might have been key. What's Peter Weir doing these days anyway? He probably could have used a return trip to Gallipoli.

The Water Diviner is about the perilous journey of Connor (Crowe), who lost all three of his sons during the battle of Gallipoli in 1915. In order to fulfill his promise to his wife by finding his sons' bodies and bringing them back to Australia, Connor travels to the crumbling Ottoman Empire in 1919. The first half of the film's running time presents an insightful and touching take on the aftermath of war, when enemies cease-fire and finally manage to find common ground in common grief.

When Connor makes his way to Gallipoli, he's assisted by the last person imaginable, a stoic Turkish Major named Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan). After losing a staggering amount of his own men during the long battle, Hasan is tasked to find and identify the dead on the field. Instead of showing members of the Turkish army as cartoonish evildoers, Crowe makes it a point to prove that in war, blame is usually spread out evenly. Both the Australian and Turkish soldiers display faces of regret and pain while combing the field for bodies, perhaps in hindsight realizing the pointlessness of the whole ordeal.

Unfortunately, the latter half of the second act turns into a bit of a convoluted mess as Crowe tries to cram in too many Turkish cultural and sociopolitical elements from the period, as well as a schmaltzy romance sub-plot with his character and Ayse (Olga Kurylenko), a Turkish widow who's not yet ready to move on. What follows is a climax that awkwardly struggles to add bargain basement elements of a war epic, such as an unnecessary battle sequence full of inflated heroics that undermine the first act's thoughtful take on war. The fact that the otherwise dramatic story involves some supernatural elements revolving around Connor's Scatman-Crothers-in-The-Shining level powers don't help the film's case.

Yilmaz Erdogan is primarily known for his comedic performances in Turkish film and TV, but he's also proven himself time and time again as a dramatic actor to be reckoned with. His soulful performance in The Water Diviner gives the film its emotional heft. Cem Yilmaz, who plays Hasan's right hand man, is a stand-up comic with a considerable amount of acting experience. However, this is the first fully dramatic role I've seen him in and he doesn't disappoint. At first I was annoyed that Kurylenko was cast as a Turkish woman instead of a Turkish actress, but I have to admit that not only does she get the mannerisms right, her Turkish isn't half bad either.

The Blu-ray:

Video:

In my opinion, a historical film striving for the scale and feel of old Hollywood fare should have a more film-like look, even if it was shot on digital. The Water Diviner looks flat and lifeless. The obvious CGI elements during battle scenes, as well as some establishing shots where an abuse of digital color grading makes the frame look like an Altoids commercial, results in a film that was tailor-made for the small screen. However, I doubt that this was Crowe's intention. I guess the 1080p transfer stays loyal to the source, without much video issues and with a clear presentation, hence the relatively high video score.

Audio:

The dialogue can be heard clearly in the DTS-HD 5.1 transfer, and the sfx during the battle scenes show a lot of depth, power, and surround presence. The score, which is over-the-top at times, blends in well with the mix. Be careful when you're watching the film through TV speakers. There isn't a 2.0 option provided, and the downmix from 5.1 will keep you busy with your finger on the volume button.

Extras:

The Making of The Water Diviner: This 21-minute featurette is a mixed bag. It looks like it was culled from shorter featurettes, and gives basic information on every facet of the production. There's an embarrassing hip-hop montage in there, one that begs to be skipped.

The Battle of Gallipoli: Russell Crowe gives some basic information about the historic battle for seven minutes, which is obviously a very short time to learn much about it. Most of this information is in the film, so you can skip this feature.

Final Thoughts:

I feel like I would have given the otherwise tired and maudlin The Water Diviner a lower score if Crowe didn't make it his mission to show Turkish characters with honesty and respect. The somber self-reflection about war during the first half of the film also deems it at least a rental. Just don't expect much on the visual front, or a satisfying third act, and you'll be fine.

Oktay Ege Kozak is a film critic and screenwriter based in Portland, Oregon. He also writes for The Playlist, The Oregon Herald, and Beyazperde.com