One Life: Movie Review

Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Johnny Flynn, Romola Garai, Helena Bonham-Carter
Director: James Hawes

Sometimes, conventional is no bad thing.

Certainly in the case of director James Hawes' somewhat formulaic One Life, there's no flashiness and a resolute determination to stick solely to the story in what is an involving tale of how one man made a difference to many lives during the Nazi invasion.

While many will read that and think of Oskar Schindler, One Life is actually the story of British humanitarian Nicholas Winton, played in present day by Sir Anthony Hopkins and in flashbacks by Johnny Flynn.

When Winton heads to Prague in December 1938, he's shocked to see the horror befalling those fleeing from the slowly spreading tentacles of Hitler's hate. Galvanised into action and roping his mother (Bonham-Carter) in from the UK, Winton starts to facilitate their mass exodus.

In current day Britain, the now elderly Winton struggles to adjust to late life, being urged to sort his affairs out before the birth of his grandchild. It's not the most compelling of threads for a present day setting in truth, but it allows the audience to connect with Winton thanks to Hopkins' quiet venerable performance. 

It also allows for a reconstruction of a real life TV revelation of Winton's unassuming heroics, in scenes that only the hardest of hearts will struggle to be not affected by.

More watchable given the parallels to current refugee worries across the world is the 1938 Prague timeline as the clock ticks on those stuck as war edges ever closer. While this is perhaps where the film is at its most formulaic, it's also true the tension elicited is more tangible as the trauma becomes reality.

However, there are moments when Dawes seems to shy away from the truth of what's unfolding and where the story feels sanitised or bogged down with exposition. That's not to dull its outcome, more a realisation that there's power in the story that feels like it's being dimmed by the direction.

Ultimately One Life is an incredibly worthy story, that's told in an incredibly business-like way - it's affecting, granted, and pertinent to our current times and the repetition of dictator beats, but this period tale could have soared when instead, it only just flies.