Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

The Water Diviner Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf August 8, 2015

Russell Crowe has enjoyed an acting career filled with varied dramatic demands, yet “The Water Diviner” marks the first time the star has stepped behind the camera. While retaining leading actor duties, Crowe finds the inspiration to create a heartfelt historical drama that investigates a crisis of anonymity when it comes to the slain soldiers of World War I. It’s powerful work when locked in investigative mode, showcasing Crowe’s strengths as a performer and helmer, selecting an unusual but evocative mystery of fatherly desperation, and one that’s especially aware of the sensitivity surrounding its subject matter. “The Water Diviner” can’t help itself with unnecessarily romantic pursuits, but fringe interests fail to implode this sturdily constructed film.

The year is 1919, and farmer Joshua (Russell Crowe) tends to his dry land as a water diviner, discovering pockets of water in the midst of drought conditions. His home life has been irrevocably broken by the death of his three sons, who went charging off to join the fight in Gallipoli, but never returned. After his wife’s suicide, Joshua decides to set out on his own, traveling to Turkey during a precarious post-war time to find out exactly where his sons were when they died. A stranger in a strange land, Joshua finds a hotel room run by Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), who also lost her husband in the war. Blocked by bureaucracy and concerned military officials (including Jai Courtney), Joshua refuses to leave the country, eventually finding sympathy from Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdogan), who aids the farmer’s mission to locate the remains, while Ayshe and her son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), provide a needed remainder of Joshua’s humanity.

For outsiders and those not in perfect sync with history, “The Water Diviner” takes some getting used to. It dissects a specific regional conflict that occurred nearly a century ago, forcing Crowe to create a visual sense of battle, eschewing a standard itemizing of enemies to portray a few heat-of-the-moment war sequences, and then he’s off to Joshua’s story, keeping the feature close to the heart, not the map. Not that “The Water Diviner” is confusing, but it’s certainly more approachable away from military officials, maintaining Joshua as the audience surrogate as he wades into the aftermath of a bloody clash that claimed thousands of lives, including his own sons.

Despite its cinematic canvas, “The Water Diviner” remains an intimate story of grief and resolve, following Joshua into Turkey as he fights to find his children. He’s in over his head, unaware of local customs, but he’s driven, with the screenplay (credited to Andrew Knight and Andrew Anastasios) holding on his delicate mission of retrieval, using that primal power of love to fuel the investigation. When “The Water Diviner” locks into this level of concentration, it’s exceptional, using flashbacks to study Joshua’s previous displays of parental protection and the sons’ experiences on the battlefield, piecing together clues to their final resting place. The plot also allows Crowe to working his greatest asset as an actor: indefatigable determination. A man who refuses to give up, promising his late wife a reunion with her beloved children. Fragments of personal history are detailed as well, including selections from the book “Arabian Nights,” which contrasts the fantasy of the Middle East with the harsh reality Joshua and his boys encounter. The pure fatherhood aspects of the picture are absolutely heartbreaking.

The Water Diviner Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (2.39:1 aspect ratio) presentation is supported by a slightly odd color scheme, which favors a yellowish tint that battles for dominance against more traditional primaries. Color is strong and defined, emerging with more definition through fabrics, and skintones are spot-on. Sharpness is stable, with detail is especially memorable during emotional close-ups, with nicely weathered particulars capturing subtle performance beats, and costuming is fibrous. Distances are preserved, along with group encounters, which are open for study. Delineation is generally capable of maintaining frame information, but some very mild instances of ghosting are detected, identifying the limits of the HD cinematography.

The Water Diviner Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix doesn't mess around when it comes to low-end activity, announcing itself right away with a heavy, booming presence from scoring cues. Surrounds are outstandingly motivated, with active gunfire when combat breaks out, leading to enveloping directional effects and a full sense of position. The circular event carries throughout the feature, filling out community visits and farmland discoveries, also encouraging some reach to the music, which sounds crisp and true, supporting with surging, powerful strings and mournful piano. Dialogue exchanges are defined to satisfaction, managing accents clearly, never pushing the listener away with unintelligible dramatics. Group interactions are presented with detail and life.

The Water Diviner Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "The Making of 'The Water Diviner'"(21:48, HD) is a collection of featurettes designed to provide an overview of the often herculean production process, with Crowe acting as our guide to the daily business of moviemaking. Purring his thoughts and goals as he narrates the journey, Crowe displays real passion for the project, walking viewers through pre-production (which includes casting at a local drama academy, heavy duty workouts to get in shape, and meetings with key crew members), location shooting (visiting the harsh conditions of South Australia, the creation of weathered costumes and characters, and the mathematics of action sequences involving significant stunts), authenticity and camaraderie (a weapons specialist is hired to keep guns period-specific and the cast lets loose at a wrap party), and post-production (including time with editing and scoring). While the bite-sized segments only tease a greater understanding of the shoot, what's here is informative, providing generous amounts of BTS footage.

• "The Battle of Gallipoli" (7:52, HD) returns to Crowe, who delivers a little more detail on the military conflict that carries throughout the film. It's a history lesson in a way, with Crowe sharing the purpose of ANZAC and its objective during the initial stages of the fight. It's also a reflection piece, with select cast members sharing their thoughts on the war and its brutal aftermath, which has spawned a day of remembrance in Australia.

• A Theatrical Trailer (2:25, HD) is included, slapped on the end of the Making Of.

The Water Diviner Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Crowe is less successful with romantic inclinations between Joshua and Ayshe, which seem shoehorned into the effort to help warm it up for the mass audience. Better is the farmer's relationship with Orhan, becoming a surrogate father for the excitable child, filling one of the many holes in his heart. "The Water Diviner" doesn't amplify Joshua and Ayshe's attraction, but it does permit it attention that could be better used to clarify world conflict. It's understandable why Crowe would want to provide a familiar human dimension to what's a terribly sad picture (though not without an escalation of hope in its third act), but it rings false, denting the integrity of Joshua's private journey as formula seeps into a mournful film, turning it into something safe and accessible.