Review of The Last Station (2009) by Etienne B — 10 Feb 2010

The Last Station(2009)-6/10...disappointing, uninspiring and slow-moving historical drama written and directed by Michael Hoffman about famed Russian author and socialist Leo Tolstoy, and his efforts to balance his ideology with his tumultuous marriage in the final months of his life.

James McAvoy stars as Valentin Bulgakov, a young writer and follower of the Tolstoyans...a communal organization following in the footsteps of the saintly author of masterworks such as "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina".

He is assigned to go to Tolstoy's rural estate and become his personal secretary, and document everything that goes on there. What's going on is a philosophical debate over who should profit from Tolstoy's work.

His followers see him as a visionary, one who denounces private property and promotes freedom, love and equality. They believe his writings belong to the Russian people, a sentiment not shared by his wife Sofya.

Married for some 48 years and played by the usually excellent Helen Mirren, she doesn't want her husband to just give away his legacy. She doesn't believe in his ideals or doing what's right for the people.

She screams, fights and quabbles her way through the entire movie, eventually forcing Tolstoy to leave just for the sake of finding some peace. Christopher Plummer is very good as Tolstoy and overall the cast is very good, but my problem with the movie isn't the acting.

The problem is the script and the overall pacing of the film. It plods along at a very slow pace. Not much happens, its just a lot of romantic talk about love and freedom mixed with insanely selfish outbursts from Mirren.

It all becomes quite tiresome and repetitive, and by the time you get to the last act you just kind of want it all to end. It totally lessens what should be a powerful and emotional send-off for the celebrated author, who believed in equality and love for mankind.

Cast also includes Paul Giamatti, Kerry Condon, Anne-Marie Duff and Patrick Kennedy.