Admiral is a wartime biopic following the exploits of Aleksandr Kolchak during World War 1 and the ensuing Russian Revolution (1916-1920). Kolchak rose in power within the Russian Navy to become a major figure in the resistance to the Bolshevik Revolution, ultimately taking upon himself the title “Supreme Ruler of Russia” and spearheading the (doomed) fight against the insurgency. Juxtaposed with the fight for his homeland is the fight for Kolchak’s heart, with his wife (and mother to his child) speedily losing ground to a love affair with Anna Timiryova – the wife of one of Kolchak’s generals.
Notwithstanding the admirable portrayal of Kolchak by Konstantin Khabenskiy (Wanted, Daywatch), and equally capable performances by the supporting cast, Admiral fails to fully capitalize on the potential held by its setting. The film reads as a Russian attempt at a Hollywood interpretation of the historical events, with the opening action playing out like “Saving Private Ryan” – but at sea!! – and Kolchak undertaking superhuman feats in saving his crew (dammit man, I’ll destroy that battleship myself if I have to!). These issues reduce the realism (and, undoubtedly, the historical accuracy) of the film, and initially create an unintended pastiche of ‘epic Hollywood war stories’. Furthermore, the director seems intent at underestimating the intelligence of the audience, and heavily punctuates the importance of events throughout the movie – especially through the use of glass breaking in slow motion.
In saying that, the movie is based around events that are complex and hard to truly keep in perspective – this is, after all, the revolution of a whole country – with numerous players and theatres of war to keep a tab on. It is therefore understandable that the script attempts to keep the story arc rooted in the developing romance between Kolchak and Timiryova. This romance doesn’t grip, however, with any attempt at passion or friction between the two being relatively lifeless. Any emotional buy-in from the audience is therefore avoided, leaving little (apart from some impressive production values) to keep this movie afloat.
Those with greater knowledge of Russian history, and especially Kolchak’s (and Timiryova’s) legend, may have a greater appreciation of the film. Unfortunately, the direction and scripting of the film pulls down any potential held by the setting. It’s a pity more wasn’t made of the opportunity held by Admiral, as movies dealing with these turbulent times are few and far between. FILMGUIDE rating:
Reviewed by: Aidan Kirkby-McLeod Release date: June 17th, 2010 Stars: Konstantin Khabenskiy, Elizaveta Boyarskaya, Sergey Bezrukov, Vladislav Vetrov Length (Minutes): 124 Languages: Russian Director: Kravchuk, Andrey Studio: Vendetta Films
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