Far from Men (2015)

What makes it different from others?

The greatest movie ever made..!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's 1954 Algeria. Revolution is in the air. Daru (Viggo Mortensen) is a war veteran teaching little kids in a small remote school house. Another white teacher has been killed and he's warned to leave. He refuses since his family were longtime residents. One day, prisoner Mohamed (Reda Kateb) is brought to the school. Daru is told to bring him to town for trial. Mohamed had killed his cousin. He needs to end the blood feud by getting executed by the French. Their journey is disrupted by the two warring sides.There is beauty in the stark landscape. I like the setup until Mohamed refuses to escape after the attack. He's not much of a prisoner and that drains some of the tension. The level of duty for Daru is pretty low which also drains the tension away. Daru is projecting impossible goodness. There just isn't anything to prevent Daru from walking away. Mohamed don't seem to care about his life. There is no fight for life since both seem perfectly happy to die. I get that it's trying to say something about war and the human nature. That has some value but not much tension.

Far from Men is relevant to today's political and social situation. Set in a country torn apart by original inhabitants rebelling against invading forces -- and caught in the middle, the ordinary people trying to get on with their lives. Sound familiar? My friend and I could not speak when the film ended, it made such an impact on us. The performances by Kateb and Mortensen are so believable that the audience is swept up into their world rather than watching them act. Set in the stark desert of Algiers, the characters'futile scramble to some safe place is gripping and all-encompassing. One of those films whose scenes haunt you days and months after. Highly recommended: I would see it again.

Brilliant performances by Mortensen and Betak, who play two men and show their story in a war torn 1950s Algiere. The film has a progressive build of relationship between the two characters which is fantastic. They evolve deeply and create definite emotion throughout film; a fantastic effort with character development. Definititely one of Mortensen's best performances. If a film is better than just good I will usually give it a 7.5-8. This french slow paced drama scrapes itself a 9. It exceeded my expectations. It accomplished conveying the story very well. An original score from Nick Cave as well, which perhaps has a slight hint of a downfall. So far one of the two best European films of the year.

This is an action movie of the mind, of the soul. Based on Albert Camus's short story The Guest, this in effect sums up the writers philosophy with clarity and insight. It was shot in Algeria which presents a perfect backdrop - both because it was where Camus grew up and because the stark but beautiful scenery fits perfectly with the story.(It even hints at Camus's own life in Algeria. He was of the working class - real working class, like working with their hands - and with Spanish heritage.) It takes the Camus story a bit further - but always with elements that was in fact part of Camus's life. For anybody who fondly remembers existentialism and how it analysed our human predicament, this movie will be a reason to celebrate. For those who does not know it, but is clever enough to agonize over our predicament - like how do we save our humanity when life forces us into situations that show that we are NOT " fully in control of our destiny" - start here. The acting is superb and the directing is brilliant - and obviously done by someone who understands Camus. Do not expect special effects or action hero stuff. This story goes deeper than that. Far deeper. It is in French but as the dialogue is on the sparse side, the subtitles for English speakers are easy. A movie of a great idea wherein the message, the dialogue and the filming merge together into a powerful statement.