The Last Station

Going

One thing's for sure, this film boasts an A-list cast such as this year's Oscar award nominees in Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren, and others such as James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti, that the film literally gets carried away on their collective shoulders. Detailing the last year of Russia's, and one of the world's literary great Tolstoy, the film examines how his growing stature amongst society and his non-violent, pacifist movement start to gain so much traction, that he becomes almost like a demi-god worshipped by the masses who lap on every single word and phrase he utters. His thought of leaving his material assets to his protege (Giamatti) also sends his wife (Mirren) into a frenzy, wanting their assets to go not into another's hands (even if touted as for the greater good), but to keep it within the family and the children.

Then there are other subplots as well, most notably the romantic one where a young, passionate love is contrasted against a maturing one that has gone on a plateau, and the one which I liked was how McAvoy's character got sent undercover as a spy to report back on Tolstoy's every doing, but also finding himself caught up with the enemy when caught under a constant crossfire. Plummer gives possibly the most iconic portrayal of a historical character in his career,

You can read my review of The Last Station at movieXclusive.com by clicking on the logo below.