In the early 20th Century, Lev Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) has gone past just being a novelist and has become the leader of the Tolstoyan movement, which promotes pacifism, as well as the denouncement of material wealth and physical love. However his wife (Helen Mirren) doesnt share his philosophy, and is worried that his followers most notably the priggish and manipulative Vladimir Chertkov (Paul Giamatti) who are more devoted to the Tolstoyan philosophy than even Tolstoy is, are trying to wrestle control of the family fortune away from her.
Into this situation comes young Tolstoyan acolyte Valentin Bulgarov, who Chertkov hires as Tolstoys private secretary. Delighted to be so close to his idol, Valentin nevertheless compromises his own ideals, not least in regards to abstaining from sex. He soon comes to see that despite what the aging Tolstoy says, hes as much in love with the devotion to him in those around him as he is to the ideas hes spreading, and soon Valentin find himself thrust in the middle of the problems between Tolstoy, his followers and the great writers life.
With acting Oscar nominations for Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren, theres little doubt The Last Station is supremely well acted, with James McAvoy and Kerry Condon also putting in truly wonderful performances. And its a great setting for a movie, with a bunch of fascinating characters and a situation that promises plenty of interest. However, like some other movies based on real historical figures, the problem comes from the fact that while the people and situations may be good, the story and the way its told is less compelling.
The characters are all interesting, representing different philosophies and the struggle to live up to personal ideals. Theres Tolstoy, whos the figurehead, but whose followers are far more fanatical about the Tolstoyan ideals than he is. His wife, whos not that interested in grand ideas and just wants security for her family and what she feels is fair following decades with the writer, especially now that hes increasingly negating their life together with his grand ideas. Theres also Masha (Kerry Condon), a strident young woman who wants to change the world and believes in free love, which sorely challenges Valentins vow of abstinence.
However with all this seething under the surface, the fact its initially dealt with through the rather tedious matter of the battle over the writers will, the film is interesting while never being engrossing. The Last Station could also do with explaining a bit more about the political turmoil in Russia that Tostoys ideas fed into, as its vitally important and often hinted at, but the movie sort of assumes youre fully aware of what was happening at the end of the Tsarist era. By not talking more about it, the film itself rather underplays what was at stake, or at least what the characters believe is at stake.
Its the difficulty many historically based dramas face, that they dont want to depart too far from the truth, but often the truth is difficult to put into a story form that feels cohesive, and which fully explores all the issues that created a particular situation. Its a particular problem with The Last Station, because the first half is largely about ideas and feels quite light, with Valentin entering Tolstoys commune and comes to know the major players, while the second half tips full tilt into melodrama, with Tolstoy and his wife splitting and the writer going off on a journey that will prove to be his last. Most of the events that in this part seem to stretch credibility did actually happen, but it feels slightly overwrought because it doesnt quite fit with the first half.
The Last Station is never bad, but its never really sucks you in, a sensation which is intensified because the acting and characters are so good that it constantly feels like the movie should be making better use of them.
The picture on the Blu-ray is bright and crisp, really showing off the period detail and beautiful countryside settings of the movies. Its undoubtedly a good looking film and HD certainly brings that out. Likewise the audio is good, although its not the sort of soundtrack that was ever going to give you system a workout and frighten the neighbours. Nevertheless the DTS track brings out the subtleties of audio extremely well.
On the special features front theres only an okay interview with writer/director Michael Hoffman and a lengthy 45-minutes Conversations On The Last Station documentary. Both are pretty good, yet also oddly dispiriting. When director Hoffman and the actors are talking about the movie, you realise what a fascinating story it is, and how so many of the things theyre most interested in about the situation dont really come across in the film. Tolstoy really believed he was fighting for the future of Russia, and he was treated as a living saint by many, and the fight between his acolytes and his family was massive news. However The Last Station doesnt quite balance these opposing sides, making the family drama seem a little histrionic, while full import of the Tolstoyan side never fully comes across.
Overall Verdict: Utterly superb performances and the characters are fascinating, but the film never lives up to the promise of its constituent parts.
Special Features:
Interview With Michael Hoffman
Conversations on The Last Station Featurette
Reviewer: Tim Isaac