What madness is this? I just arrived from cinema and although the summer season has begun they showed me a movie which is not: some random French or Russian comedy, a sequel, a prequel or at least origin story an animation, based on YA novel or comic book
based on a novel or non-fiction book or some older movie there's not even any superheroes or mutants in it, ferchrissake! Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire and their attempt to wipe out as many Armenian people as they can, at its heart there is a love story – two guys (Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale) want the same girl (Charlotte Le Bon). The Turkish government would never allow a movie like this to be filmed on their home territory – it's said that the Turks have never acknowledged the genocide or their role in it. So it was all filmed in Spain, Malta, Portugal and USA. It has a big budget of 90 million USD and that money is well spent. The movie as a whole looks old- fashioned in a good way: majestic and poetic, also a bit nostalgic for the past simpler times". The story is also old-fashioned in a good way, which is to say the approach is populist – clearly black and white, we always know who the good and the bad guys are and nobody's choices are never questioned in broader context. But this kind of approach is not a problem when we have three leading thespians so able as Isaac, Bale and Le Bon. They put every nuance of the material to efficient use. "The Promise" is clearly an actors' movie and that's how it can be appreciated even if you personally do not care about that part of history. Some of the scenes with strongest dramatical impact are done even shortly and without any words, just a quick look, pause, and they move on. The Project" never dwells long on anything happening on screen, there's so much story to give and absorb in the 132 minutes it has. And yet thanks to competent direction and superb actors, it never feels rushed, there's always enough room for important things and people in the context of the story. I especially like the action scenes which are actually pretty small in scope, compared to most war dramas produced today, but it never feel that way. The suspense and danger surrounding the main characters is always real. I am not trying to step on anyone's feelings and underplay the seriousness of the genocide, but it can be said that the century-old suffering of Armenians is not the most well-known of historical tragedies, especially to the general English-speaking audience the movie is produced for. So having a big budget that enormous seems kind of risky. Luckily for the people involved, the project was fully financed by billionaire Kirk Kerkorian of Armenian extraction whose family had lived through the events depicted in the movie, and all the proceeds will go to nonprofits (ie, charity). A fun IMDb fact to end with. The Promise" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last September, but before the audience even left the theater, reviewers suspected to be Turkish government- sponsored trolls had submitted ca 4,000 negative ratings. That number quickly multiplied before the movie was released. Maybe that's why the IMDb score is pretty low, 5.9/10. All in all, it's a competent and confident movie from all involved. Even the main man behind the screen, the co-writer and director Terry George is not randomly chosen. His earlier magnum opus is acclaimed and Oscar-nominated Hotel Rwanda" (2004) about mass murder of Tutsi people in 1990's Africa. So it's like his second shot at the epic making glory in Hollywood. Here's hope the movie doesn't disappear unnoticed
although not having superheroes or even mutants is clearly a misstep!
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watts-3430525 April 2017If you've studied WWI a bit, you'll know that while the Ottoman Empire was crumbling a group called the "Young Turks" decided that Turkey would rid itself of everyone not Turkish. If you agreed to convert to Islam, you might be spared. So much happened and on such a large scale that you could easily do a mini-series, so the film is a little long and some conflation of things was necessary. It is not unrealistic that Armenians could escape from one situation and then simply find themselves driven from one horror to another. Yes, some Armenians were worked to death by the military, some escaped and tried to hide out, and yes, a few thousand were rescued off of Musa Dagh (a mountain), close to the Mediterranean Sea. Bottom line, this film manages to convey the horror of being hated simply for who you are and targeted for extermination. Oscar Isaac is just phenomenal, and the rest of the cast is very good. The incredible atrocities are played down, fact is if they showed the viewer even 15% of what happened in detail, it would make it hard to attract viewers. The genocide against Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and other non-Turks is well documented and supported by historians in general. It's a historical fact. The only historians who try to downplay or deny there was a genocide are usually being supported financially by the Turkish government. Those who did not die were largely women/girls who were handed off to Turkish families. I would guess that a large portion of Turks do in fact have an Armenian grandmother or great grandmother. After years of the Turkish government threatening the diaspora and attacking anyone who insisted that this happened, it is extremely heartening that this film has been made.
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adamonIMDb18 November 2018It's a shame that this film's IMDb page has effectively been hijacked by trolls because it covers a politically sensitive topic. Over 90% of all voters have either given it 1 or 10 stars, clearly attempting to sway the rating one way or another without actually watching the film and judging it on merit. 'The Promise' doesn't actually focus on the Armenian genocide itself, rather it is set during the final years of the Ottoman Empire and centers for the most part on a developing love triangle involving the main character.
Looking at this film objectively and without joining the many others in disputing its historical accuracy, I thought 'The Promise' was an impressive and well-made drama film. The plot is engaging and well-constructed and is effective in balancing the telling of historical events with an emerging romance. It also looks great - the production and cinematography is excellent and it features some stunning scenery. Unfortunately the genuine ratings and reviews for this film have been drowned out by so many one-line one-star fake reviews. -
Coralknight8 November 2017...but that still hasn't been done justice. "The promise" is slightly better than its predecessor of the same theme, "Ararat". The scenery and settings, specifically of pre-War Constantinople are in fact, breathtaking (if not a bit fanciful). The story is entirely linear and unfortunately falls into trap of turning into a "refugee" movie, similar to "Beyond Rangoon", or the much more masterful "The Inn of the Sixth Happiness"; where the protagonist enjoys a wonderful life until civil conflict forces them and a group of refugees to have to escape somewhere. I think the worst part about "The Promise" is the historical revisionism; The American Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire (played by James Cromwell) was indeed Jewish, but absolutely no "Schindler", in that he did absolutely NOTHING to save Armenians...not a single one. So, the movie has to invent a fictitious American journalist (played by Christian Bale) so Ambassador Morganthau can "save" him, somehow redeeming his role in the genocide, when the reality was Morganthau was the one who sat around and documented what was happening from accounts flooding his office while doing nothing. Yet, once again, it is a story that needs to be told, so I'm keeping that in consideration in my rating.
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yavoyavo12 July 2017Something is wrong when the downvotes are massive on a film with no real release. Then you realize its about the armenian genocide.... This could have been revealed in the discussion page rather than people posting fake reviews, but here it is, you made your page less informative because you were so afraid of trolls you ripped out and erased a basic feature for your site, you lost the ability to pick the brain of the world.
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erdal-eroglu13 July 2017I watched this movie recently with high expectations as I heard that it was top notch. I was disappointed - while its beginning is quite engaging and the story is of interest, it seems to me that the Script was focused too much on attempting to demonstrate the Armenian Genocide rather than tell the story of the people involved. All possible "evil" behaviors were shown such as work camps, railway wagon full of refugees, people beaten/killed in the streets ... It seemed far fetched to me. It seems like only Armenians were "on the road" at that time as the heroes only met "poor" Armenians and "bad" Turks. While Ottomans were a mix of Turks, Kurds and Arabs - focus is again on Turks only. Historically speaking, it is known that most murders were done by Irregular Troops. Having said that, one might say that this is not a documentary so inaccuracies may occur - but then this approach has made the film too much one sided. Not to mention the American behavior (journalist + ambassador) which is the usual "we Americans do not accept this ..." ... this came out as funny and removed credibility. I liked the male lead as he played well his role. He was one of the few strong points of the movie. One low point is for the ridiculous behavior of the leading Lady - imagine back in 1914, a lady sleeps with an American who is a drunk and goes around in bars with him, and is still deemed as honest and worthy to wed the main hero .... sorry, it does not make sense. Maybe for 2014 but not for 1914. So all in all - nice beginning, beautiful cinematography but then it tumbles as it wants to say too much and gets lost on the way. A weak version of Doctor Zhivago. Unfortunate ... Watch it once but do not buy it.
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I think the film maker needed to ponder this question long and hard before taking his 100 million dollar budget and diving in.
I chose to watch this film partly because I am a history buff and partly due to the strong leading actors. But it was immediately apparent that this film vehicle is not at all worthy of their acting abilities. At times it was almost painful to see how difficult it was for them to inject any life or believability into their characters. And it is very hard to connect emotionally with characters who do not seem real.
Let's start with one of main characters - Ana. She is a French-educated Armenian governess for a prominent Armenian family in Constantinople. She is also having an affair with the American journalist. Now it is very doubtful that this affair was secret -- word got around fast in those days -- but how is it that her employer allows such a loose woman (this was 1914, after all) to educate his children AND even tells his nephew Mikhael that she would make a good match for him? Not believable. The other main characters could have been done well if they had been written well. But the film was so intent on giving us the details of the historical conflict between the Ottomans and the Armenians in their empire, that there really wasn't time to properly develop the characters. They were shallow at best and I just could not get to the point of catharsis. I usually cry in films depicting such tragic and moving events, but to my surprise, I did not shed a tear until the end when the narrator relates the wedding of Mikhael's niece and we read the words of William Saroyan.
So if the intent of the film was to tell us all of the events of the Ottoman-Armenian conflict, then give us a documentary please! I would actually be interested to learn about why the conflict started. Was there a Hitler lurking in Anatolia? Or was it a bit more complicated than that? Or, if the film maker really wants to have a love triangle (or quadrilateral since there were actually 4 lovers if you count Mikhael's wife) AND educate us at the same time, please try a mini series. Then there would be time for character development and the sweep of history.
The director of photography did not help this film either. Some of the outdoor scenes are shockingly bright and seemed very out-of-step with the subject matter. And the editing? I am no film-maker, but there seemed to be some very sloppy editing going on in the battle scenes especially. All in all I got the impression that this film was rushed into production. Why? I really would like to know.
It is truly a pity that trolls posted 1-star ratings in the thousands before the film was even in wide release. While the film is of poor quality, I do not think it deserves such a low rating. But the thousands of 10-star ratings? This film is so far from perfect that the high ratings seem like a mockery. What, have these people never seen a truly well-made film? -
isabelg_miranda2 August 2017Well, screw those who would destroy History because truth hurts their feelings. The Armenian genocide happened, and whoever tries to censor this film will do so in vain, or so I hope.
The movie is good, in general Oscar Isaac doesn't disappoint, and Le Bon adorably shines. That said, the crude, sad part is hard enough to watch, especially when you consider what's been shown is a mild version of what happened.
It's a good movie, even though a ten is too much, I have to over-vote it to compensate for those who willingly down-vote in order to bury the truth in the sand. Worth to get to know what happened, if only because many wouldn't want you to. -
SU0117226 May 2019God bless all the people who made this fill possible. Not just for the Amermenian genocide perpetrated by the Turks, but for the Greeks and Assyria s also.
On another note, it it completely insane how there are so many 1 star reviews on a movie of this caliber. I guess it helps reveal the evil is still alive to this day when it comes to this subject. -
ferguson-616 April 2017Greetings again from the darkness. I've said this before, but mixing romance with historical war time dramas is fraught with peril – it's a difficult line to navigate. Writer/director Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) and co-writer Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) have delivered a sweeping historical epic that is immensely watchable by not over-blowing the romantic triangle, the war atrocities or the courage and bravery of the main characters.
The one-too-many lovers are played by the talented Oscar Isaac as medical student wannabe Mikael; Christian Bale as Chris, an American war correspondent; and blossoming international star Charlotte Le Bon as Ana, an American tutor based in Constantinople. These are three varied and distinct characters we accept because they have admirable qualities, as well as human flaws.
Mikael marries a local girl (Angela Sarafyan who was the robot with hypnotizing eyes HBO's "Westworld") for the sole purpose of using the dowry to pay for medical school. His "promise" is that he will return and learn to love her (so romantic!). Chris is a hard-driving and hard drinking journalist who is not welcome most anyplace he goes and finds himself in quite a predicament with his job, girlfriend and life. It's not until later in the story that he flashes a caring heart underneath his armor of brash. Ana is nearly angelic at times in her goodness and with a smile that lights up the screen. Her devotion to Chris is as odd as her attraction to Mikael, but seeking logic in matters of love is often a journey without merit.
The story is based around the time of WWI and specifically highlights the Armenian Genocide – something the Turkish government denies to this day, referring to it instead as a "relocation" of nearly 1.5 million Armenians. The film began as a passion project for Armenian-American Kirk Kerkorian, a businessman, philanthropist and the once owner of MGM Studios. He raised the money and helped assemble the team, but unfortunately passed away just before production began. He would undoubtedly be proud of the finished film, and find some solace (if not humor) in the fact that it hits theatres only a few weeks after The Ottoman Lieutenant, a Turkish government backed project that purposefully ignored the atrocities and leaned heavily to a singular view of history.
The cast is deep and included (one of my favorites) Shohreh Aghdashloo as Mikael's wise and courageous mother, Tom Hollander ("The Night Manager") as a fellow prisoner of the Turks, James Cromwell as an American Ambassador, Rade Serbedzija as a leader of the Armenian resistance, and Jean Reno as a commander of the French Naval fleet that plays a vital role in 1915.
Cinematographer Javier Aguirresorobe captures some breathtaking vistas and desert landscapes, while also delivering the intimacy and urgency of both the romantic and dangerous moments (including a spectacular rain-drenched train sequence). The acting is superb throughout, with Bale dialing back his sometimes over-exuberant traits, Isaac giving us someone to pin our hopes on, and Ms. Le Bon bringing the compassion to an area when it's so desperately needed. Expect to see her explode in popularity and respect when the right leading role comes along. Lastly, it's rare that I would think this, but the film's 2 hour and 14 minute run time might have benefited from an additional 10-15 minutes of detail towards the Turkish military strategies, and both the Armenian resistance and slaughter. It's a part of history that should be neither ignored nor glossed over. -
cruise0123 April 2017When it comes to films with a tragedy event, it feels like it would always be a better idea to throw in a love triangle to help create a more dramatic experience. The Promise does that and failed, this time going during the Ottoman Empire and the genocide atrocity that many Armenian people were being murdered. It is a story that not many historical films went over. The film has an okay story, talented actors playing dull characters, and a direction that thinks a love triangle would be perfect for a mass tragedy war.
The plot follows Mikael (Oscar Isaac), who lives in an Armenian village with his family. Studying to go to medical school and promised to be married to a family friend and in return his medical lessons are paid for. Once arriving in Turkey, he stays with his wealthy uncle, where he meets an Armenian woman Ana (Charlotte Le Bon). She was raised in Paris and with a journalist Chris (Christian Bale). Their relationship has not been perfect, when Chris is committed to his work and trying to be a heroic in exposing the truth about the war. Mikael falls in love with Ana, right before when World War I begins. Mikael tries to exempt himself from being enlisted to the military by stating that he is a medical student. When a round up, ends with him being caught and taken to a labor camp on building a railroad. Meanwhile, Ana and Chris are reaching across to help a group of orphans taking refuge in a missionary retreat to try to get out of the country. Especially, when Chris witnessed as the Ottoman army are taking the Armenian people and "relocating" them to a different area. Only to see that they are being executed.
The plot was decent, and yes it is one of those historical films that go over the Armenian genocide. Which is something that is never seen before in historical films during the World War I. Sadly, the film also fails when they try to add a love triangle with Mikael already being promised to another for marriage but falls in love with Ana. Who is already in a relationship with Chris and their struggle of a relationship. Which she is frustrated for his rude drunk behavior at parties. We can all tell with the predictableness on how this all plays out. It really feels like they force this subplot of a love story in a tragedy event. Sure, other films work it out better like Titanic, Pearl Harbor, etc.
Christian Bale is a great actor and Oscar Isaacs as well. Charlotte Le Bon is a beautiful stunning actress. There characters are forgettable. The direction is also dull and boring. Could have been better if they had a better music score to build the emotional tension. The most emotional tension we get from the movie is when Mikael notices the Armenian people he once knew, murdered in the forest. And that silent moment on screen was a powerful emotional scene.
Overall, The Promise is a historical drama film that missed its mark on being a masterpiece when it falls under its love triangle clichés, dull written characters, and a boring direction. -
Dear IMDb, Yesterday I stumbled upon an article about a film called 'The Promise' and how it has received an unprecedented amount of negative reviews on your site. This film has been screened three times, one being at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, 2016. And yet it has over 55,000 1-star reviews. How is that possible? This film is about a touchy subject for many because it centers around the time the Ottoman Empire carried out a genocide against the Armenian people. But since it is not possible that all these people have seen the film considering the simple fact that it has not been released anywhere yet, how can people leave negative reviews about a film they've never seen? In my humble opinion, it really questions your website's credibility. This film was produced by someone who had a vision and his name was Kirk Kerkorian. He put many of his earnings on the line to put this movie into production. The director, Terry George, is one of the most renowned and respected in Hollywood. The cast is made up of countless brilliant actors. This film has quality written all over it and yet it is being unfairly rated down by people who haven't seen it. It is a known fact that the Turkish government and people have been denying this genocide for over a century and are willing to go to great lengths for it to remain unrecognized. But to allow your website to become a weapon of Turkish denial and propaganda is not the standard that your company set for itself when IMDb was launched. Your website has always been a respectable portal of knowledge about all films of the world, so I am in real disbelief as to why a film that has not been released to the public is being defamed and down- rated by Internet trolls. As I said, this whole situation just questions the validity of IMDb. Please do not allow this to keep happening. There are so many people who dedicated their time and effort to the making of this film. They spent millions of dollars to make it happen. This film tells a story of an event that the world needs to know about. And until people have the chance to see it with their own eyes and in turn draw their own conclusions, please do not allow this kind of spiteful rating to continue. Please do not let your site become another place of hateful political ranting. It only does you a great disservice."
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I was curious which version of the Armenian Genocide this movie would tell. A fiction, that 1.5 million Armenians, 500,000 Greeks, and 250,000 Assyrian Christians were victims of a "civil war?" Or would its makers place responsibility where it belongs -- on the leaders of the Ottoman Empire in WW-I?
To this day, the Turkish government refuses to admit the crime and its supporters took great lengths to derail this movie by flooding internet cinema sites with poor 1.5 ratings to discourage Americans from seeing the film. This, despite the courageous efforts of Turkish dissidents and opposition political leaders who have dared to speak up on the ugliest episode in their country's history.
The story portrayed against the backdrop of this crucial period of history is a simple one. A gifted medical student, Michael played by Oscar Isaacs (Inside Llewyn Davis/Ex-Machina/A Most Violent Year) whose acting matches the intensity of the times -- receives his betrothed's dowry to complete his medical education in Constantinople. Michael arrives just as the genocide begins and falls in love with the beautiful Anna, an Armenian music protégé --performed by French-Canadian Charlotte Le Bon (The Hundred Foot Journey/The Walk) who lives with her lover Chris Meyers, an AP reporter determined to expose the genocide (played by Christian Bale (Empire of the Sun/American Hustle/American Psycho).
Director Terry George, a native of Belfast, Northern Ireland (Hotel Rwanda/In the Name of the Father/Hart's War) skillfully factors in crises of the heart without trivializing the gravity of the horrific massacre in Anatolia.
I digress here to confess a lesson learned. Coming from a Hellenic heritage scared by 400 years of Ottoman occupation, I expected a larger Greek presence in this movie. My ethnocentric desire to see a Greek army coming to the Armenians' rescue, made me miss entirely the message conveyed in this work. I selfishly asked "...why were my people left out of this flick?" Fortunately, as the end of the movie approached, two thoughts came.
First, the Armenians deserve to have THEIR story told uncluttered by others. Besides, at least we Greeks HAD a country to escape to.
Second, I realized that my people were in the movie and yours were, too. The Cambodians under Pol Pot, Native Americans, the Armenians and the victims of Naziism in Europe: Gypsies, Homosexuals, the horribly so-called "Mental Deficients" the peasants/workers of Russia, and of course, the Jews, are all our people!
Perhaps someday when we realize that our Humanity is all we have to share with one another, such movies will no longer be necessary. -
The film is controversial because of the Turks voting it 1 and the Armenians voting it 10. Ridiculous. The film is visually dark for much of it which is slightly annoying. It feels like a lot of it can be edited out down to 90 mins it's ease but wasn't. It's an interesting story but feels like a poor man's version of titanic. It's just about ok but should be better.
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DUKEJBM21 April 2017A tremendously powerful and utterly tragic depiction of the disheartening true life events surrounding the staggering attempt to exterminate Armenian Christians before and during WWI. Profound sadness and disbelief linger throughout the film because of the cruel and evil practices on display. Regretfully, until this movie I really had no idea these events even occurred. One and a half million Armenians wiped out. Cultist Muslim butchery and evil should be combated and moved to be exposed in any era. This film takes on that responsibility in a truly heartfelt and moving manner. Nothing is easy to watch as waves of tragedy assaults the senses. Hope is conveyed but when certain characters meet their demise it truly delivers shock, dismay and disgust. The film makers and remarkable cast deliver revolt and true emotion and do a remarkable job of telling this sad yet heroic struggle.
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Leofwine_draca21 January 2018THE PROMISE is a would-be historical epic in the Hollywood mould, seemingly inspired by the look and feel of the likes of THE ENGLISH PATIENT. The main story tells of a love story between a beautiful woman, a medical student, and a journalist, but this merely exists in order to depict one of the most controversial events of the 20th century: the massacre of the Armenians by the Turks. Turkey continue to deny that such a genocide ever took place - indeed, for them, this film is a work of fiction, a piece of western propaganda at best. Nonetheless it's shocking, moving, and harrowing, particularly in the latter half of the production. The romantic stuff I could have done without, but there's no denying that this is the kind of story that needs to be told, and Isaac, Bale, and Le Bon are up to the telling.
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michaeljtrubic24 September 2016Many films that debuted at this years Tiff were based on unfortunate periods of history. I hope that some of them can learn from this film. This has at its heart a love story. It also depicts what a nation is capable of doing to an ethic group when its leaders (both secular and spiritual) reduce the value of life of different cultures to nothing if it is not theirs - Islam.
This film is from the same director that brought Hotel Rwanda to the festival a few years back. That presentation was a wonderfully moving experience for me as this one was also.
This film is not all about murder thankfully. Its about the people who were once a vibrant part of the former Ottoman empire that find all of their hopes and dreams for the future suddenly crushed. It has at its core a wonderful love story and it has attracted many fine actors to portray these memorable roles. I found the female roles to be particularly well designed and delivered. Excellent female roles in this film.
FYI: At my screening (2nd) the director told us that there were 1400 seats at the first screening and that there were already 4000 negative reviews on IMDb - yes he reads these reviews. I don't believe 100's of Turks would come to a film festival only to learn about the Armenian Holocaust. No one at my screening cried foul.
People that maintain it didn't happen are still trapped in a loop of denial.
If we cannot remember the past we are doomed to repeat it.
This film is careful not to delve to strongly into the depiction of violence. I think this film might be appropriate to teach children about history and also to teach children about people who want to cover up history.
It is October 5th, almost a month now since the premiere. Currently 54,000 negative reviews for a film that hasn't opened yet - that must be some sort of a record. -
dglink4 May 2017A romantic triangle played out against the background of war and upheaval. No, not "Dr. Zhivago," not "Gone with the Wind," not "Casablanca," although such lofty aspirations are there in director Terry George's "The Promise." Mikhael Boghosian, a young Armenian, leaves his family and his betrothed to pursue medical studies in Constantinople. There, he meets the lovely Ana Khesarian, who is involved with American journalist Chris Myers. The ensuing entanglements, improbable hair-breath escapes, and impossible coincidences occur while Turkey is enmeshed in the first world war and enforcing the "resettlement" of its Armenian population.
The Armenian genocide and Turkey's denial are well known, and "The Promise" has a strong political agenda. However, agendas are not entertainment, and the film succeeds or fails on the credibility of its characters and situations. Despite the film's major assets, the central romance is clichéd; well-bred young woman torn between an idealistic crusader and a passionate healer. Throw in Armenian orphans singing "Alouette," pistols that click but don't fire at critical moments, and a watery scene torn from "Titanic," then mix with lingering overwrought reunions, tender words and kisses while hell-fire rains, and movie buffs will chuckle as they recall each film being plagiarized.
However, large-scale crowd scenes, skirmishes between Turkish troops and Armenian refugees, and arduous treks through rugged mountains take place against striking locations in Malta and Portugal and are backed by Gabriel Yared's fine score. The huge production budget is evident on screen, and the cast is strong as well. Oscar Isaac as Mikhael is especially good as the Dr. Zhivago character; torn between a promise to his mother and fiancée and a passion for Ana, Isaac holds the film together as dedicated healer, passionate lover, and Armenian patriot. Charlotte Le Bon as Ana, however, is perhaps too prim and ladylike to survive the rigorous treks her character faces; while she is fine in the early drawing room scenes in Constantinople, her romance with Mikhael seems to blossom overnight and her ordeal as a fugitive would have quickly killed a woman of her fragile nature. The third member of the triangle, Christian Bale, gives a solid performance as Myers, although the part demands little of his talent.
Whatever the film's flaws and excessive length, "The Promise" does throw light on an historical event that has been suppressed and denied. The movie can be termed a missed opportunity; a "must see" film would have drawn audiences to the romance and educated them to the history. As the film stands, only those already familiar with the history will likely be interested; the romance is an overly familiar yawn. -
tigerfish502 May 2017A love triangle set against the backdrop of the Armenian genocide in Turkey should deliver an intense experience, but 'The Promise' can't let go of its agenda as a propaganda exercise, which dilutes the dramatic effect. The lovers are Mickael, Chris and Ana - an Armenian medical student, an American journalist and a Franco-Armenian dance teacher, and the trio soon develop a tangled relationship. Their paths cross in Istanbul as Turkey enters the 1st World War, and the two males with crucial professions start competing for the favors of the party-loving Parisian.
The story skims over both political and amorous aspects as the action zigzags across Turkey. The screenplay consistently portrays the Armenians as noble and courageous, while the Turks are mostly depicted as bullies and murderers. It addresses the issues behind the genocide only superficially when a Turkish official dismisses the Armenian community as a cancer within the nation. The romantic intrigues are given similarly shallow treatment, as Ana flits from one man to the other and back again, shedding a few tears on the way. The Armenian holocaust and the suffering of its victims deserve something far better than this lightweight melodrama. -
jtchagla2 February 2017I saw this movie at the Toronto film festival 4 or 5 months ago. It was honestly a very good movie. Christian Bale and Isaac did a good job acting in this movie. As a fellow Armenian, I am also disappointed in all the bad reviews that this movie has received. This movie is right now a 4.1 / 10 when it should really be closer to an 8 or 9 or at least a 7. This movie was rated before it even came out and it is not fair that it doesn't receive a fair rating. Overall this was a good movie. The music was well done by the singer of System of a Down and the director did a good job as well putting everything together. I would recommend seeing this movie for anyone who is out there.
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In the last few weeks before the release of the movie worldwide and Lebanon, there was a lot of discussions how the movie through ratings via IMDb & Rotten Tomatoes being hijacked by thousand of reviewers through very low ratings with the majority not writing a single note on the movie. For the reason mentioned and the fact that I was invited by AFHIL (Armenian Fund For Health Insurance in Lebanon) through a friend, I had to go and judge for myself.
Usually, I care a lot about ratings but this time I had to ignore because the movie wasn't given chance and in my mind, because I understood that this act by Turkish influenced reviewers is a second attempt to diminish importance of what happened 102 years ago & erase a nation's right from the history books. So I was not deterred by 4/10 rating or the rotten status on both mentioned sites. In an approximately 2 hours 10 minutes, there was not a second of boredom in the film. I will go into little deeply & briefly in explaining certain aspects of making a good film. In any film especially a feature film there're few things that complement each other without one the movie is a failure. In the case of "The Promise" had the storytelling attributes & a well struck script, the director who is the project manager of this feature was in control & in my opinion he excelled, the cast was almost flawless although Christian Bale had by far had better roles from the Batman series, American psycho, and other parts nevertheless he was on top of his game. Oscar Isaac portrayal of the Armenian living under the Turkish rule was overwhelming and authentic, especially during his emotional outburst while witnessing the tragedy of his people and family. Charlotte LeBon as an actress was new to me but she as well nailed in her performance. The production from small details to the biggest either makes it or break it and here they were spot on. At the end of the day, it's a dramatic love story with historical influences and no matter what you do someone will criticize. The most important elements to a good movie were evident the story, cast, production, directing, & crew. Would I say it's a masterpiece? No, but it's a movie I recommend everyone to watch, open their heart & eyes to fully grasp this major production that highlights an important & tragic part in the history of the Armenian nation and Armenians scattered all over the world because the aggression of an arrogant empire and until our days the same entity is not even conceding of the atrocities occurred by their predecessors. -
karaoglan-2064916 October 2020If you want to talk people about a genocide, dont try to make it by filming a love triangle god damn it. I baray had the patience to finish it. How can you take such an intresting plot and execute it so poorly. Shame.
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franknacsa13 September 2016Beautifully shot film, with intriguing intertwined love stories. Well balanced between the protagonists narratives and the inevitable lead-in to the Armenian Genocide, showing its impact on a very human level, particularly on the story's leads.
Those who provide a 1 star of 10 clearly are not actually rating the film, but providing political feedback. How many who have rated it as 1 in 10 have actually seen the film? Doubt many have. Some of the rants are a clear attempt at revisionist history to try to rationalize the actions of the Ottomans. Sad part is that there really should be no need for those rating that way to do so, since Turkey (which I know is a denier) is not the same as the Ottoman Empire, and modern Turkey (though less modern under Erdogan), and Turks, should feel no compulsion to try to defend that Empire.
Please use IMDb for the purposes for which it is meant, not to attack for political purposes. It would be fair, for example, only once one sees a film, to criticize it for being too political (though politics are worthy of expression in film), or too one-sided, and explain why, with examples. -
Well i seriously love this movie acting, cinematography, action, story every thing is perfect but i also find it islamophobic, it's really like they are trying to spread hate against turk, i don't know much about Armenian Genocide maybe it's true or maybe it's just false flag even if you google it you will find lot's of conspiracy about thiis so why did they choose this subject which is not 100% true and make a full movie with this superb cast, And one thing that make me thing about all of these when i see my country flag (Pakistan) in the scene where American ambassador ask for release Mr chris from turk army headquarter . Pakistan was founded in 1947 and Armenian Genocide happened in 1915. how could they do that it's clear that they are trying show that Pakistan was also involve in this Armenian Genocide.
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Basiclly love based historical movie, but i dont say there is a good or bad side of the war. Actually the history cannot learn with mediocre movie and unacknowledged information. In conclusion, "the bases of genocide" is historians issues. Not a filmmakers.
On the other hand, thinking out of this "historical thoughts", this would have been a good love stroy in tough circumstance with good cast. However Mr. Bale did a terrible act and get a place in sided sensitive topic.
Based on true events movies MUST be acknowledged by locals and historians with solid proofs.
There are two faces of medallion. If the bullet goes through it, all sides would damaged.