The Water Diviner

This one felt like a direct to DVD film, shitty effects shown only for a few frames, a very small scale trying to act big, and close ups.. Shit loads of closeups.. Even zoom shots.. The script also did not make much sense, specially during the parts with Crowe's super powers.. Overall, badly directed, badly shot, bad movie. And it's funny that even though it wasn't shot but Turks (and I'm speaking as a Turk myslef), how much it demonises the Greek.

A "90" given because the story is well written with suspense and a pleasing ending, but mostly because it shows the futility of war. Excellent performances by Crowe, Olga Kurylenko and Yilmaz Erdogan.

Crowe strives to strike a universal chord about the futility of war. Simplistic? Maybe. But in crafting a film about the pain a parent feels after losing a child in battle, Crowe transcends borders and politics.

Hmmm, don't really understand why they made this movie so boring. The story sounds so interesting, but the execution is just crappy. Probably it would have helped to explain the background and significance a bit more

one of Crowe's better movies

Ciddi sıkıntılarına rağmen içinden bizim destansı hikayelerimizin geçtiği filmlere zaafımdan yararlandı ve kalbimde yerini aldı.

russell tries his best with a sincere effort, but it's quite obvious that he has very little experience directing. this problem pops up in all regards of the movie, how the script veers off in parts, in how some roles were terribly cast, and in the general low production feel of the movie. russell had a decent story to tell, but apparently he doesn't have the tools or the finance to pull it off. it's better suited to turkish audiences, considering the major turkish stars on the side roles.

Not bad.

I was moderately interested but mostly bored the entire way through. I didn't hate it, but would have a hard time recommending it.

Fascinating movie although the sound got on my nerves. My review here : http://opinion-as-a-moviefreak.blogspot.be/2016/06/the-water-diviner-2014.html [Full review]

I enjoyed The Water Diviner and think Crowe did a good job in the director's chair. The war scene flashbacks were appropriately brutal considering the battle being depicted, but there's also a lot of tenderness during the father's search.

Idiotic spiritual romance combined with some interesting historical drama.

The Australian countryside was beautifully rendered, but virtually everything in Turkey rang shallow or hollow to me. Most pointedly, the film does a poor job establishing Connor's "divining" qualities beyond the natural phenomenon of water. How does a man walk a battlefield and discover, purely by "feel" where his son's fell? If the film weren't so dogged in its pursuit of wartime realism in every other aspect, maybe this divining wouldn't feel so out of place. But it does.

This was actually quite good. I liked the story, and even though Mr. Connor sure gets around, the pace is good and never drops my attention. The directing is solid and the cinematography definitely worth mentioning. Actually the second scene with Crowe, alone won me over. *Good

But while these nations may remember the Gallipoli Campaign with a certain measure of pride, the movie shows us very little heroism in the midst of this war. That makes for an often brutal-feeling movie, as its maker (star Russell Crowe in his directorial debut) uses violent content like a cudgel to shock and, at times, even horrify. (pluggedin.com)

not like other Russell Crowe movies. not recommended.

The Water Diviner is a rocky start to the directorial career of Russell Crowe. It's an uneven effort whose screenplay doesn't help him out any. Spurts of brilliance are undercut by stupidity, a lack of character depth, and jarring tonal shifts. It might interest students studying the Battle of Gallipoli, but for anyone else it'll largely be a waste of time.

likable, mostly because I've been to Turkey a little romance and adventure tragedy - too bad we can't stop warring

Has loads of potential, and simply doesn't redeem all of it. There's some surprisingly strong chemistry between certain characters, and at points, the story really manages to deliver a punch. But in my opinion, Crowe's inexperience as a director shows, rendering a lot of scenes not as effective as they could have been (especially with LOTS of out of place close-ups). Overall though, I think this movie maintains a fair balance between heavy-handed and light, and manages to entertain through both.

Neah it just didn't work for me. Could have been a masterpiece, Gallipoli story gives you that chance. I respect Crowe's own choice of story though. Have to say Olga Kurylenko is a shitty actress..

Russell Crowe's first self-directed drama and this one worked for me. Some shortcuts in the story, but besides that I got into the strangely compelling trip in search of dead sons in a foreign culture.

A few structural and editing issues aside, this proved a surprisingly poignant watch. Russell Crowe's central performance here is among his stronger work, deep and honest. Some sequences prove genuinely harrowing - heart-wrenching battlefield screams that'll stick with you for life - and the pleasantly warm romantic subplot and occasional forays into dark comedy work impressively well in tandem with the darker central themes. A meandering, but ultimately moving, work.

Not bad.