Director: Brad Silberling
Writer: Brad Silberling (Screenplay)
Starring: Ben Kingsley, Hera Hilmar, Peter Serafinowicz, Robert Blythe
Plot: A war criminal in hiding forms a relationship with his only connection to the outside world, his maid.
Runtime: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: An Ordinary Man starts as a war criminal known only as the General (Kingsley) is forced to relocate with his driver Miro (Serafinowicz), finding him confined to an apartment, he wants a normal life, but his actions have caused the problems he is facing, he gets to meet his maid Tanja (Hilmar), who will be the first person he gets to talk to.
As the General gets to know Tanja, he starts to question her life choices, passing on his own words of wisdom to the young lady, while having her own agenda for getting close to him.
Thoughts on An Ordinary Man
Characters – The General is one of the last wanted war criminals left out free, he is in a form of hiding, which will see him try to live a normal life, while his closest followers will make sure he needs to keep moving to remain safe, often left to occupy himself, he makes a new friend in his maid, who he tries to teach life lessons too. Tanja is the maid that has been cleaning the current apartment, she is left intimidated in the presence of the General, but starts to learn life lessons from him.
Performances – Ben Kingsley is a joy to watch through this film, showing moments of humor to balance out the arrogance of the character. Hera Hilmar stands toe to toe with the icon of the industry, always looking to learn like her character.
Story – The story here follows a war criminal in hiding that befriends a new maid, becoming a mentor to as he looks to confess some of his crimes and live an ordinary life. This is an interesting look and an idea of how a war criminal might well try to live their life, seeing the world from not hiding, but in plain sight, where they can keep seen by the people, but not captured. We do get to see a mentor like relationship between the two as well, which will help carry the story through.
Settings – The film keeps us in the hidden, quiet location within the city walls, where the war criminal is being forced to live for his own safety.
Scene of the Movie – The road trip.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The ending was disappointing.
Final Thoughts – An Ordinary Man is an interesting look at how a war criminal is left in hiding, wanting a life he could have had before his actions took that away.