Far From Men Review
By David Kempler
Far From Great
It's 1954, in Algeria, which is in the midst of its fight for independence from France. Daru (Viggo Mortensen) is a teacher from France who is living in the middle of it. His class consists of the locals, most of whom are goat herders. The entire area is barren and sparse. The obvious question is: what has brought Daru here?
Daru has an air of civility about him and it is incongruous to his surroundings. His life is interrupted by French officers when they leave Mohamed (Reda Kateb), an Arab prisoner, with him - something he wants no part of. He is tasked with delivering the prisoner to a French prison. The war has intruded upon his pacifist and solitary life.
From there, "Far From Men" plays like a sort of buddy movie, albeit with no comedic overtones. Daru doesn't want to see Mohamed imprisoned or executed and his allegiances in general are torn between his French roots and his fondness for his new homeland.
"Far From Men" is based on the short story, "The Guest", by Albert Camus, a tale of a law officer who finds himself the unhappy watchdog of a prisoner. Daru shows a melancholy resignation to everything swirling around him. He is consumed by apathy, yet can't help but feel something for his prisoner. Daru's life was that of a teacher with no other life. Despite his resignation, Mohamed does awaken in him a sense of the need for fairness and Mohamed also gives him a purpose.
The problem with "Far From Men" is that it never ascends to the next level. It tries to come across as a slowly boiling epic that drives its characters to the precipice, but you can see it trying. It doesn't feel natural. The performances are all good and I really have no complaints, but that's not enough. "Far From Men" is far from great. It's closer to mediocre than anything else.
