Film review: The Admiral

Sweeping historical epics don't get much more sweeping, or historical, than this. Set in Russia as the country fought the Germans and then themselves during World War 1 and the 1917 revolution, this is a big-screen spectacle of a scale we haven't seen down our way in years.

The film quickly establishes Konstantin Khabenskiy (who looks like the love child of Liam Neeson and Sam Neill) as Admiral Alexander Kolchak. Kolchak was a real figure, and a man who has been much vilified by the Soviet history machine for being on the wrong side of history. But the new mood of right-wing nationalism, that has modern day Russia in its thrall, is rehabilitating many such men, and The Admiral is nothing if not a big-budget revisioning of some spectacular bits of history.

There are ships and guns and swooning romances to be had in The Admiral. If that sounds like your sort of thing, you should go. It will be long time before we get another one like this.

THE ADMIRAL
(114 mins)
(M)
Starring Konstantin Khabenskiy, Eizaveta Boyarskay.
Directed by Andrei Kravchuk.

- © Fairfax NZ News

Newest First

Oldest First