An ostensibly ordinary thief who finds out he is gifted with a miracle falls in love with a woman who dies in his arms and devotes his life to bringing her back.
A good, old-fashioned love story told in a modern, allegorical way. I remember watching it for the first time years ago and didn’t really get some parts, but I do remember being moved by the storytelling. Admittedly, watching it now, I got more out of it, and the trick was not to pay attention to the details of how good, evil, destiny, and miracles work. It is what it is, and that is it. Once that is out of the way, the focus remains on the love story itself. Everything else mythologises our purpose on this Earth and, mystically, sets the cogs of love in motion.
Jessica Brown Findlay stole the show for me as I found her utterly breathtaking. In an effort to be objective, though, all performances are exceptional: Colin Farrell as a destiny seeker, Russell Crowe as a psychopathic demon, and Jennifer Connelly as an actress, a woman, and a human being. With them, Eva Marie Saint, Graham Greene, Kevin Durand, William Hurt and Will Smith complete the superb cast. Smith is not even on the credits, and the only actor who knew about him being in the film was Crowe, who shared scenes with him. Awesome stuff! I need to say how amazing I find the casting process. Crowe and Connelly have worked previously in A Beautiful Mind (2001), Crowe and Durand have worked together in Robin Hood (2010) and Noah (2014), and writer/director Akiva Goldsman has all of them in previous projects as a writer.
Goldman’s directorial debut could not be more sentimental. Steven Spielberg acquired the rights in 1983, shortly after Mark Helprin’s novel was released; Martin Scorsese was considered to direct it, and then numerous others, but, in the end, it just stayed on the shelf for years.
Even though I’ve been “accused” of being a cynic in real life (multiple times), that kind of sentimentality seems appropriate and befitting these days. Chances are that neither angels nor demons set the rules on why, how, or how long we should live on this planet, and the same applies to destiny and miracles, but when I remember the phrase “what we know is a drop, what we don’t know is an ocean” I drown my cynicism into that ocean and enjoy possibilities however unreasonable they might seem.
It’s Christmas, in the middle of the pandemic, so we need as many miracles and help as possible. From wherever or whoever that may be.
I very much hope you enjoy it, as well as this festive period. Happy Christmas!!!
Please, don’t forget to share and subscribe. If you enjoy my work and dedication to films, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.
Solidarity for all the innocent lives who suffer the atrocities of war!
Stay safe!
