I have to admit I feel rather ghoulish and guilty about how tepid I plan to be about this film, which is of course about an incredible individual who did incredible true things, however to discuss the film in a narrative sense and to talk about propulsion and pace and even plotting is to utter phrases such as “not narratively fulfilling” and the like. One Life is indeed the extraordinary story of Nicholas Winton brought to the screen featuring the talents of many of our finest actors of current and ‘still’ current (with his bevy of recent success I don’t think one can say anymore that Anthony Hopkins is an actor of the past). But in this case one finds that viewing the original five minute clip that this film uses as its ultimate finale, is far more impacting and also something that the film has looming over it for its entire runtime.
One Life is
an incredible story, but it is certainly not unfortunately an incredible film.
James Hawes directing never really manages to offer much in the way of tension
in this incredibly tense story and the whole film is thwarted by a ham-fisted
structure that does it no favours pacing wise. Many of the films most
intriguing moments have the wind taken out of them by being told in flashback
and although Hopkins is his natural sublime self in delivering the dialogue
that starts these flashbacks, it’s not actually anything that adds and in this
case I actually think it subtracts. Hopkins overall is un-surprisingly
brilliant in this very quiet and subdued turn that he manages to bring a lot of
levity and lightness to, however in the recent run of The Father and Armageddon
Time, this feels like the sort of stately older gentlemen performance that
he’s avoided for years now. Jonathan Pryce too shows up for a similar one scene
role that just feels slightly lesser of what his talents can actually bring to
the screen. The fact that Johnny Flynn is a standout is the issue, he is
wonderful as the younger Winton and that is where the quote-un-quote action of
the story is, so every time we shift one can’t help but feel slightly
underwhelmed. Helena Bonham Carter appears in these past flashbacks and is also
delightful, but to be frank the whole film just drips along and is neither
wholly effecting, thrilling or dramatically intriguing. It’s not saying much
when your film of two hours fails to have the same impact as a 10 minute
section on That’s Life with Esther Rantzen. The blunt and unfortunate
truth in this case. However if one knows absolutely nothing about the truth of
this story or for that matter hasn’t already seen the original classic footage,
this film may very well be the most astounding thing you see this year – but I
do with regret and indeed a ghoulishness doubt it.
A perfectly fine 6/10, bordering to be frank on 5, that has a truly hopeful and inspiring story told in a back and forth past and present style that regrettably puts the films pace through a ringer and although allowing us to have a beautiful, subtle turn by Hopkins, every time unfortunately just stops the film dead. It’s never a bad thing to have one of the greatest actors of all time in your film, however in this case one found that the actual story being told of the events, would have been led better to have a truncation or even bookending to better suit the film. The films tension and drive is thwarted by two things, the overshadowing of the very famous footage it all builds to which most people have already seen, aswell as the aforementioned back and forth narrative technique.
P.S. Also this is a case where although in real life it did it seems take two studio audience events, I wouldn’t have minded the liberty being taken to conflate the two events and have one singular major impactful scene, despite the historical inaccuracy.
- - Thomas Carruthers
0 Comments