"An old-fashioned war drama stuffed into a cumbersomely choppy time structure..."
"...its honorable intentions are not matched by sustained emotional impact or psychological suspense."
"...it never quite transcends its stodgy approach."
"...merely underlines how far short they fall of their classic models."
"That detail is related as a coda here, whereas it might have made for a more inventive starting point."
"All that fussy time-jumping seems an untidy way into Lomax’s remarkable saga..."
"But with all its busy back-and-forth at the expense of compelling psychological insight, the lumbering script and direction fail to give the outcome the power it deserves."
"Firth does everything that’s required of him and yet Eric remains an emotionally remote protagonist for such a harrowing story."
"While she’s lovely in her early scenes, Kidman’s role becomes a thankless one, called upon largely just to react with moist-eyed, agonized concern."
"Composer David Hirschfelder contributes a robust dramatic score that conveys more emotion than anything onscreen in this nobly inert film."