An Ordinary Man (2017) Reviews

• Excellence...

  notom-230122017-10-04

  Ben Kingsley plays 'The General', a War Criminal in some unstated country hiding from those who would prosecute him for his crimes. His only normal human contact is that of his 'maid' (Hera Hilmar) - an, initially, reluctant participant in the relationship. Kingsley plays his part with equal indifference and suppressed savagery - though no explicit details are given of his 'atrocities' - you become quickly convinced that this is a creature capable of committing them. Hilmars' portrayal of a person bound by circumstance is equally ambivalent. Initially repulsed by The General, a tenuous connection rears it's head. There's very little in the way of 'action' during the entire film - this is not a film about actions, but about the consequences. Watching he interplay between 'The General' and 'The Maid' is both fascinating and morbid - like watching a car crash in slow motion. I heartily recommend this film for fans of Kingsley - but if you're expecting an action packed, explosion driven extravaganza of the more modern genre, you'll be disappointed. Hera Hilmar too, plays her part with a subtlety that shows the depth of her acting experience.

• It is a great movie if you just think a little bit

  bobbyebadi2018-06-21

  Spoiler alert, do not read my review if you have not watched the movie: Most viewers do not get the story, so they find the ending not satisfactory. It is because unlike most movies in our generation, this movie asks you to think deeply about what you have watched. This story is about a war hero, someone too risky to kill, because many people still love him. They do not want him to be captured by the enemy either, so they kept him alive in a home and watch him closely. They hire a beautiful young girl, telling her that she is a bodyguard to protect the general, but the truth is she is just a lamb planned to be killed later to break the old man's heart. The beautiful girl melts the man's heart, giving him a new desire to live and enjoy life, he starts to feel and to seek an emotional connection with his surroundings and his unfinished past personal life. It is when they execute her in front of him, leaving him with despair and guilt. so the general decides to commit a suicide. A famous general, a man who can not be killed, still can be killed easily by love a young beautiful woman, just another ordinary man...

• All I can say is WOW!

  rfoster-069792018-08-11

  A truly moving experience! This presentation has everything, love, honour, justice, vengeance, hatred, hope, hopelessness. This is filled with superb acting and I was left knowing the cost of knowledge. To what or to whom will we sacrifice our all?

• The effects of isolation on a hunted war criminal

  gradyharp2018-11-24

  Writer and director Brad Siberling offers a very strange essentially two character film that immerses the viewer in the terror - and humor - of isolation, demonstrating how the presence of a companion allows connection in a world that no longer makes sense. Filmed in Serbia the actual languages and change sin viewpoints (and accents) can be confusing at times, but this not the point of the film - simply an observation. In the opening screen remarks we are informed that War Criminals are usually caught in time, except one, this one: The General. And apparently the area of location is Yugoslavia and we meet the General (Ben Kingsley) being escorted to yet another hiding place by his handler Miro (Peter Serafinowitz). When the General is dropped off at his current safe house he encounters Tanja (Hera Mimar), a maid, who provides the responses to the General's endless chatter. Tanja is his only connection with the outside world and the various walks and endangerments they face form the crux of this mysterious story. The acting by Ben Kingsley (sporting a confusing but consistent strange accent) is brilliant. A stylish, dense, and in many ways illuminating film about the effects of war on the individual.

• Warrior mind

  nigelbedayse2017-10-05

  A superb psychological and somewhat spiritual story. The 'General' - Kingsley expresses the truly Grecian ideal of a warrior balanced between love and honour. While being hidden from prosecutors he does not wish to hide but to speak out and live as an ordinary man. In the 'maid' he finds a youthful, idealistic mind to have a discourse. Their arguments reveal the difficulties in reconciling the atrocities of war with the individuals guilty of doing so. One is left at the end wondering how they have influenced the other.