Sometimes it doesn't take much to win me over. Pair stunning vistas of the Algerian desert with a melancholic score from Warren Ellis and I'm there. Far From Men boasts a rugged aesthetic, and despite its frequent violence it has a big heart. Geared to highlight the moral compass of its protagonist played by Viggo Mortensen, his moments of anguish are the film's most tender and compelling moments. Perhaps director David Oelhoffen is a little too kind to his characters, giving the killers so many redeeming aspects that it breaches sentimentality. It quickly retreats from sappiness however, and finds a sweet spot, if not quite as complex as it could be. Though on the other hand, I don't know much about the Algerian war to understand the culture conflicts but the themes of justice are universal. Though some of the moral dilemmas are a little stilted and it spends too long just trekking in the desert at the expense of a tight economy, the narrative development is noticeably well-structured. None of the flaws are clunky enough to hold the film back and it's a well- executed marriage of sensitive compassion in spite of prejudices with tense action sequences.
7/10
7/10