The Power of One (1992) User Reviews

Movie certainly not up to par with the fantastic book

[thesupertgal · 7/10 · 19 August 2005]

The Power Of One is based on a novel by the very talented Bryce Courtenay. The sequel novel,Tandia, which picks up right where The Power of One left off is equally moving and compelling reading.I am promptly going to go out and read everything else he has written. Both The Power of One and Tandia have moved me beyond words. I am a white South African girl who spent 19 years of my life in SA. I led a very privileged, sheltered childhood growing up in South Africa. I was just 15 when apartheid fell apart. My parents were not racist and in fact my father dedicated his life to working as a doctor in a very poor area but I still , unbelievably, never really had a very clear picture of the horror of apartheid until Mr Courtenay outlined it so vividly in these books.(as I said I was sheltered as a white child)I feel extraordinarily blessed and lucky to have directly avoided the violence and sickness that invaded my country for so long just because I was lucky enough to be born with white skin. I now live in the States but South Africa will always be home. I wept most of the way through both books. I have never been so moved in my life.Mr Courtenay summed up perfectly the collective guilt that white South Africans must carry with them forever more for our people's legacy of hate and brutality and oppression Even if we ourselves are not guilty - our people are guilty.He also, of course, inspires us to believe that one person can make a difference and that sanity,justice and compassion can win in the end even if the fight is long and hard.For those of you who think the characters are too stereotyped- in some aspects you are right. Not all Afrikaaners are the evil, racist villains that are portrayed in the books . However, I certainly encountered people growing up with unbelievable racism, fear and hate who do match some of the characters in the book.So there is truth to his characters also. I have no doubt that the brutality was accurate. One only has to look at historical events in SA history to confirm that. Thank you Mr Courtenay for your wonderful gift and for sharing it with the world.

As for the movie: I must admit it has been years since I happened upon it on television late at night. I do remember being quite swept up in the film but then being disappointed with the direction they chose to take it in. A Hollywood ending on what could have been a remarkable African movie.I do understand that film is a completely different medium and changes were necessary to adapt the book to film. Still I cannot help being disappointed with some of the changes that I deemed uneccessary such as the changing of Peekay's name from the wonderful, mystical"The Tadpole Angel" or "onoshobishobi ingelosi" to "The rainmaker" Come on! That's lame! The rainmaker?!That has none of the same feeling the other names invoke.The addition of the girlfriend just to give Peekay a love interest is unnecessary fluff and her character not well developed enough to warrant such an addition.Nonetheless, the film is still worth seeing.

I must say that I truly do hope that someone else re-makes this and does a better job.Tandia would make a fantastic film also. I am going to buy a copy on DVD and re-watch it and the post my thoughts here after refreshing it in my mind. I highly recommend reading both The Power Of One and Tandia to all interested in the history of apartheid in South Africa or just those looking for a good drama and a fascinating stories with strong characters.Even if you hate to read and are intimidated by the thought of reading such large books- just start- I guarantee you, you won't be able to put both these books down!If you haven't seen the film or read the books, I guess you should watch the film first. Otherwise you will be sorely disappointed and outraged at all the negative changes and you won't be able to truly enjoy the film for what it is: a nice attempt at an adaptation of a marvellous book.

Excellent book, good movie.

[aquarius87sr · 8/10 · 2 October 2002]

Contains Spoilers Well I had seen the Power of One when I was quite little and I remember really enjoying it. Now a few years later, I have read the book and I was extremley disappointed with the changes they made in the movie. First off Peekay has no love interest. Also his mother does not die and Peekay does not stand for Peter something something or whatever it was. In the book it has a special meaning and the film failed to highlight this. He also does not gain the scholarship to Oxford. The film failed to portray Peekay they way the book intended him to be. Since peekay was around 6 he has dreamed of being the welterweight champion of the world. The film totaly missed this out. It missed out alot of the things that happened to him during his upbringing which molded his charcter. Of course the film could not include all of these but I felt they missed out a few of the important ones.

However, I did give this film a 8 out of 10. If we take away the book, the film is great. The actors are superb and it moves along at a good speed. Dorff and Freeman are excellent.

One of the Better films of the 90's

[aimless-46 · 7/10 · 29 July 2004]

Caution-Minor Spoilers ahead: John Avildsen could be considered the most interesting director of his generation if only for the huge range of quality among his films and the fact these differences seem to have little correlation with his level of experience. His best films include Joe (one of his first efforts), Rocky (several years later), and this film (late in his career). Mixed in between these high points are some moderate successes (Lean on Me and Save the Tiger) and some total dogs (Neighbors, The Karate Kid, WW and the Dixie Dance Kings, and Rocky V). It is hard to believe that it was same person, you either have to credit Avildsen with the 'courage' to take on even the most hopeless of scripts or with such financial desperation that he had to take anything that came his way.

With Avildsen the 'courage' angle (willing to attempt something without fear of failure and able to bounce back after failure) is the more likely, since courage is the recurring theme of most of his films: the solitary individual pitted against the oppressive and dehumanizing forces of the 'status quo'.

This is certainly true of 'The Power of One'. Bryce Courteney's book had that same theme and the film adaptation preserved it. Critics of the adaptation (and lovers of the book) complain that this is about the only thing that Avildsen preserved. While they are technically correct, their complaints are rather silly because the book(s) were basically un-filmable (at least commercially) and film is a different medium making comparison illogical anyway. While all adaptations contain many elements of a story, there will be omissions and changes-particularly with a novel like Courteney's. Those who complain that this adaptation was incomplete and inaccurate probably complained that 'Clueless' was an inaccurate adaptation of Jane Austin's 'Emma'. The point is that a movie is a movie and a book is a book. Actually this film was a blending of Courteney's story with Stephen Covey's 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' with the main character having to move from dependence to independence (private victory) before he can become effectively interdependent (public victory) and influence others. As someone said earlier, 'The Power Of One', despite ending with a statement proposing a bland union of absolute conviction, is not expansive but rather interior in its meaning. And this is indeed the paradox of art, when experiencing something the details are rapidly subsumed (as in subjective).

This is a more political story than the novel but the political elements are superficial and simplistic. And the premise of a white boy leading a whole race of people to their salvation is a bit over the top, an unnecessary and forced way of extending Courteney's individual inner power to a collective unity. But such is the nature of film, where pacing considerations and time constraints make reliance on stereotypes necessary to economically convey a message. And in a sweeping historical story like this there is no way to provide a great deal of depth to the characters. But Avildsen does a good job with his main character, a consistent style of frequent reaction shots of PK remind the viewer that the film is entirely his point-of-view and his impressions as he grows up. The solitary individual pitted against an oppressive power structure, his 'power of one' being an ability to experience personal tragedy/inhumanity and yet retain his humanness, as a child he learns to not let fear restrict the experience of living.

What makes the film good is that while Avildsen's political message is heavy-handed and stereotyped, he makes good use of the time this buys him for other story elements. Some have asked why Fay Masterson's 'Maria' character was added to the screenplay (Maria was not in Courteney's novel). This was a special subtle touch by Avildsen. Masterson is as perfect looking as Nicole Kidman but somehow much more real. Two of the best visual scenes in the film revolve around her character. The first is PK's initial glimpse of Maria in the audience at his championship fight (homage to Rocky's search for Adrian in the crowd). It is visually amazing-Masterson has an angelic glow in this shot which makes PK's instant enthrallment and improbable pursuit seem quite believable. And Masterson handles the subtle acting requirements of this difficult role extremely well, representing those Afrikaners who were able to overcome their childhood indoctrination, see their racist institutions for what they were, and work for change. The other key scene is Maria's funeral where Avildsen shows her father's sudden grasp of what a special person she was, and special for the very qualities he tried to suppress in her while she was still alive. This scene could have been clumsy and silly but Avildsen stages it with such subtlety that we accept that her father has been inspired to work for reform. Film is such a powerful medium because when done correctly it can visually tell a story in a few seconds more convincingly than in a hundred pages of text.

Bottom line this is not a perfect movie nor is it an accurate adaptation of the book. It is a very entertaining film more 'inspired' by the book than adapted from it. It has great visuals of the veldt and has wonderful African music. The historical subject is worth telling and the individual themes of justice, hope, and courage offer a very positive message. 7 out of 10

An american ending to an african story

[Maik · 5 February 1999]

It's been a while since I have seen the movie for the first time. Though I really liked the first two thirds of the film (up to the point, when Stephen Dorff takes over the main-character (but that has nothing to do with his performance)). I found, that the last part was strange and somehow out of continuity. The first part strictly sticks to the idea of experiencing Apartheid from the view of a boy, who is growing up in a system of classes and injustice and who himself fails to really belong to any of these classes. The last part however suddenly tries to be a lot of movies in one: Action, Romance, Patriotism and a Historic Anti-apartheid picture. And I think, trying to do too much, it failed to be anything of the above in the end.

The reason I'm writing this comment now is, that I am just done reading Bryce Courtenays novel. And I was really surprised to learn, that exactly after two thirds of the story, the movie totally goes its own way and ignores the course things take in the novel. The last part of the Novel is just as great as the first. If you liked the movie (or at least the first part) read the book, it's worth it!

To sum it up: I believe The Power Of One had the potential to be an outstanding picture. The music was great, the landscapes beautiful and the acting excellent (Armin Müller Stahl at his best). But unfortunately somebody tried to write an american ending for an african story and couldn't have failed worse.

The movie falls short of the book.

[MESapia · 6/10 · 20 June 2001]

If you like this movie, you will love the book which is 100 times better. Before reading the book, I would have given this movie a high mark but it just pales in comparison. My hope is that someday this movie will be made again more in keeping with the book. I would just like to add that Morgan Freedman is excellent in this film.

Fantastic

[tinpan-1 · 10/10 · 29 January 2005]

This is the best film I have ever seen. I read the book in 1989, which I enjoyed so much. It was emotional, real and I raved about the book to anyone near me. So much so, that my fiancé took me to our local cinema during a festival to see the film in 92. For those that have read the book, all I wanted to know was how were they going to do the chicken scene?

However for those of you that haven't read the book, the chicken scene did not matter. For once a film is so fantastic, that you cease to compare it to the book. I enjoyed this film, in a cinema with fewer than fifteen people in. I laughed and cried and it was so sad that no one had made the effort to come and see this masterpiece.

Years later, when I talk about the film, people say " Oh it's the one about the boxer" but it is so much more. If you think this is a boxing film, think again. It is a film about love, about being different , about perseverance and about not only wanting to make a difference, but doing so. It shows that you may be a small fish, but you can make a difference to the world if only you believe in yourself.

Morgan Freeman is just fantastic in this film. As is Stephen Dorrf. For Morgan, it is on par with Shawshank Redemption and beats performances in anything he had done written by James Patterson. I was so chuffed recently when seeing Enduring Love, with Daniel Craig, I realised he was PK's enemy Jaapie Botha in the film from 13 years ago. I am lucky to have The Power Of One on video and I wait for the day when it is released again on video or DVD and I can purchase it for friends to watch. You cannot watch this film without getting something positive out of it. I have since parted with the chap I first watched the film with, but have married a man born in South Africa who appreciated this film as much as me. I only hope and dream that one day, we together, we will make a difference. If we touch on PK's achievements I will feel I have succeeded.

Not as good as the book

[smithiealan · 6/10 · 29 May 2020]

Unfortunately I read this book, which I enjoyed, and that made the film less enjoyable I imagine. The visuals however were great, and the story held attention. Morgan Freedman was as ever superb, and ou were able to root for Steven Dorf.

All in all a moving story, and certainly worth viewing.

Excellent film and music score.

[janmac73 · 10/10 · 2 August 2006]

I watched this film several years ago and it brought back many memories of my life in South Africa. While living there I saw many things that were portrayed in the film so can relate to it. I thought all the actors were very good and but Morgan Freeman's role was truly exceptional and should have won him an Oscar for his portrayal. The accents were very much true to life even though the main characters were not South African. I found the story line very thought provoking and the music was so good I went out and bought the CD. I think it's about time they showed this film on TV as many things can be learnt from this. I feel this film is on a Parr with another South African film called Serafina which dealt with the riots in Soweto.

A sad piece of history

[shneur · 7/10 · 8 April 2006]

There's always a problem with casting for a film that spans childhood, unless one has a spare Culkin handy to play the younger protagonist. In this case the transitions seemed especially jarring -- not so much the looks, but mannerisms and general temperament -- as though one character had left and been replaced by another. This was not present in the novel, where in fact emphasis was placed on the continuity of person, and the roots of "P.K's" extraordinary achievements in his painful childhood experiences and losses. This is a story about the initiation of official government apartheid in South Africa in 1948, about its brutality, and about the beginnings of the insouciant individuals who would eventually overthrow it at the end of the century. That's an unusual angle from which to view this particular stain on human history. While the personal details and character development so important in the book are largely absent from the movie, its historical and geopolitical purpose is served, and I believe that makes this film worth watching.

The Power of One is very unique, Bryce Courtenay did a ...

[eggplant50 · 10/10 · 15 December 2000]

wonderful job at making the book (I read that). And for the directing of the film, it was fantastic. Starting with Peekay as the young boy at just 6 or 7 years old, being treated so horribly gives one a different view of life in Africa in the WW2 years. Several differences between the book and the movies, but that is to be expected. If you haven't read the book already, but you've seen the movie, you'll still feel the power and climatic of this production. Well put by the actors Stephen Dorff, Simon Fenton, Guy Witcher, who all played Peekay; Armin Mueller-Stahl for his peaceful acting of Doc; Morgan Freeman for Geel Pete; Fay Masterson for Maria; and all the rest for making such a tremendous thought-provoking film. A masterpeice telling people what is going on in the world, to get them to act to it. May the world flow with peace and beauty.

love the first half

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 14 March 2015]

It's 1930 and PK is born 3 weeks after the death of his father. His mother struggles to maintain the farm. The penniless English boy is sent to an Afrikaans school. As the only English in school, he is brutally bullied by the Nazi loving Afrikaan boys. His mother dies and he is befriended by his grandfather's friend German exile Professor von Vollensteen 'Doc' (Armin Mueller-Stahl). When war breaks out, Doc is arrested as an illegal German despite the fact that the Nazis have killed all of his family. While spending most of his days in prison with Doc, he is taught boxing by Geel Piet (Morgan Freeman) and witnesses the cruelty against the prisoners. Geel Piet calls him the Rainmaker, the prophesied one who brings unity to all of the tribes. After the war, Doc goes home to Germany. PK (Stephen Dorff) goes to an English private school run by headmaster St. John (John Gielgud) where he falls for Maria whose father Professor Daniel Marais is a leading politician of the Nationalist Party of South Africa.

Director John G. Avildsen does a reasonable job. The first half is a great movie. PK as a kid in the school and in prison is very compelling. I like the narration which gives it a feel of a fable. The prison actually makes PK a myth. The second half loses some of that sense. The second half is complicated by a romance and an unnecessary return of a character from the school. The combination makes the movie smaller while trying to take on such big issues. The boxing scenes aren't the best either. There are some of the best actors of all times at work here. Daniel Craig makes his debut. It's set up for it to be a great movie but turns into something less.

Absolutely AMAZING!!!

[choirgirl1987 · 10/10 · 6 October 2006]

This was an AMAZING movie. I can not believe that I hadn't seen it before today (Oct 6, 2006). This movie made me cry multiple times, and I am NOT one to cry because of a movie. It was SO real, and to think that it was dealing with stuff that happened less than 40 years ago. It deals with the apartheid in South Africa, and how segregation is so horribly wrong. It follows the life of a boy in South Africa, and his struggles by being one of the few English children in the area he grew up. It follows him through many deaths of friends and family. It shows him as he grows up and becomes a man, and takes a stand for what he believes in. If you care about anything, this movie will show it somehow. You really should watch it! I SWEAR that you won't be disappointed!

Moving

[perfectbond · 7/10 · 15 November 2004]

I have never read the book of the same name, written by Bryce Courtenay, on which this film is based so I obviously cannot comment on its effectiveness as an adaptation. However, as a film standing alone, I found myself very moved by this story of struggle set in South Africa. I had also recently seen Breaker Morant also set in South Africa during the same period. I thought the performances were very good. Morgan Freeman brings the same dignity and pride to his character as he brought to the chauffeur in Driving Miss Daisy. Though, here of course there is less humor. Dorff, Mueller-Stahl and the rest acquit themselves well also. All in all, a moving film.

Alright movie but almost completely unrelated to the book

[distni · 3/10 · 2 March 2005]

WARNING: Full of spoilers This movie might be okay on it's own, but if you've read the book you would know that it is almost completely unrelated to the original novel by Bryce Courtenay.

It mixes up the characters, most of which aren't even included in the movie.

For example, half of Hoppie Groenewalds boxing advice comes from Geel Piet. Then, Hoppie, who doesn't appear on the train, appears late in the movie as a boxing coach at a gymnasium.

Also, Geel Piet, in the book, was a coloured man, hence "geel" which in Afrikaans means "yellow". The movie, however portrays him as a black man. This is very careless seeing as they even retain the name "geel".

The movie also tends to remove nearly all of the biggest influences of Peekay's life and mostly include all of the less important things.

Some other difference include the name of the chicken, his mother's death, the reason for nanny's leaving, the retaliation towards the judge at the boarding school and many more errors.

All in all, don't watch the movie if you haven't read the book and if you watch the movie first don't expect the book to be related.

Powerful but informative

[johnloomis201 · 14 June 2004]

Having read both the book and watched the film, this is a great film.

Although lacking a lot of the depth and detail the book had it still captures the essence that Bryce Courtenay used in the book.

I myself grew up in South Africa during Apartheid and it was indeed a tragedy, this book captures what I saw during my time to the letter. The governing powers feared the tribes and from this grew hate,from hate anger.

I read the book whilst still in South Africa as a teenager and it left me with a tear more than once. The Film has been skillfully crafted as well as any adaptation can be done and still leaves me with a lump every time that pinnacle line is uttered: 'Little beat Big, If little is smart. First with the head, then with the Heart'

A shame that Robert Kamen didn't put the same emphasis that came from the book.

The book is better, but the movie is still worthwhile

[gjones · 6/10 · 24 May 2001]

I have to say that this book is one of the best books I've ever read, so I was hesitant to see the movie. The movie, although not as engrossing as the book (how can it be, you can't get into Peekay's character enough in the movie) is still worth renting.

Racing Towards a Racist State

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 11 September 2007]

When Stephen Dorff's character of PK sees the African child reading from the U.S. Declaration of Independence about that all men are created equal, he knew he'd started something. Literacy is always the key to freedom and accessibility to read everything is the second step. The southerners in the slave holding part of the USA knew that well. It was a crime back in the day to teach a black slave to read. In our own country Frederick Douglass knew that well and he counted his education as a first step for freedom for his people.

What I liked about The Power of One is that it goes into the history of the Union of South Africa as seen not from a historian, but from the point of view of a growing boy who was of English parentage. The young man who grew up to be Stephen Dorff because he's orphaned as a child has to go to a school for Afrikaans children. Their resentment of English encroachment and victory in the Boer War runs deep. Their ministers in the Dutch Reformed Church preach a brand of Christianity that can now only be found in the USA among white supremacist fringe groups. It wasn't so long ago it was more in the mainstream here, let alone in South Africa.

Dorff identifies with the blacks because he's an oppressed minority as well. The film takes us through the late twenties. thirties, and forties in South African history. The year 1948 is a critical one as shown here. The coalition building of Jan Christian Smuts came to an end as his South African Party was voted out of office and the white supremacist Nationalist Party of Daniel Malan was voted in. What was informal before became established law at that point. Of course even then a lot of people of good will in all races living there opposed that policy. It remained in affect until Nelson Mandela was elected president.

Young people are shown as the engineers of change in South Africa. Dorff, his friend Dominic Walker, his African boxing rival Alois Moyo and even Fay Masterson whose father is high up in the Nationalist Party are the opponents. All of them give fine performances.

The two most well known names in the cast are Sir John Gielgud as Dorff's English headmaster and Morgan Freeman the African who teaches him to box. The first half of the film is a flashback as Dorff's is reciting an autobiographical essay for class which we don't realize until the classroom is shown. He learned to box to combat the unceasing bullying he took from the Afrikaans kids. Freeman gives a wonderful performance and the coda to it was supplied by Dorff when he says that the Afrikaans policeman who beat Freeman to death was later found strung up in an isolated area.

One of the kids who bullies Dorff grows up to be Daniel Craig who also becomes a policeman who now have powers greater than they had before. Their confrontation in the end is something to see. As a kid Craig idolized Hitler and as an adult we see how he put those ideas into practice. It's a truly malevolent portrayal of hate, you could tell Mr. Craig had a good career ahead of him.

As did Stephen Dorff. He's got a great ear for dialect, right in the tradition of Robert Mitchum. Hard to believe he's an American.

For a great picture of South Africa turning a dark corner in its history, I highly recommend The Power of One.

Below My Expectations...

[roughriders23 · 6/10 · 2 October 2005]

I expected a lot from this film but it just did not live up to my expectations. I remember Morgan Freeman once said that he was disappointed with the final cut. He was expecting much more because the screenplay/script was very strong. N one here gets the blame except for the director. He has a classic script in his hand but he goofed up. The movie gets tiring and boring at many stages. One wishes that there were more screen time for Freeman who shows that the lenght of the role does not matter. He had a terrific role and put in an nomination worthy performance. Gil Piet was my favorite character in this film so it was hard for me to see him exit the movie so far. I just wished that the director could have focused more on PK's childhood, because when the movie covers his adult years it slows down. Overall, it has some powerful scenes with good performances. But if there was a better director on board the movie would have turned out to be a classic.

Praise for this film and stunning performances.

[Kisse · 10/10 · 6 January 2000]

This film is stunning, frightening, enchanting and do not leave you indifferent. Superb acting from all actors in this film. I find this films message about that the power of one, as in one drop of water which in turn become brook, rill, river or waterfall, especially enchanting and uplifting.

One film that I can recommend, which has nearly the same message about togetherness and unity. In which one of the actors from this film is also playing male leadrole. It is the film "Lean on me" and Mr Morgan Freeman. If you liked this film I think you will like "Lean on me".

Good but could have been better

[grantss · 7/10 · 16 March 2023]

South Africa, 1930s. An English boy, PK, is sent to a conservative Afrikaans boarding school. There he is mercilessly bullied by the Afrikaans boys. PK ends up living with his grandfather and there befriends a Cape coloured man, Geel Piet, who teaches him to box, something he shows an immediate talent for.

Good, but could have been better. Started out very well but got fairly predictable and clichéd after a while.

Good performances all round. Stephen Dorf is good in the lead role. The superstars, Morgan Freeman and Sir John Gielgud, don't disappoint. Interesting to see Daniel Craig in one of his earlier roles (and as a villain to boot!).

The best movie I've ever seen. Honest.

[elsie_bee · 10/10 · 29 May 2000]

The first time I saw The Power of One, I cried because it was such a sad story of love and hate and injustice. Now that I've seen it again (about 20 times), it's become so much more than that to me. This story is true. Maybe not in the details, but in the basics. This is South Africa, or was not so long ago. I feel that everyone should see this film, no matter their race, religion, or backgroud because it applies to us all. I have always loved Africa and watching this story brings me back to the land I love. The writing behind this film is excellent and I recommend anyone who loved the movie to read the book. Power lies undoubtedly in unity.

somewhat true

[YesISaidOi · 6/10 · 14 December 2006]

this movie was fairly good, i watched it in my Africa through film class and it didn't completely suck but it was very over dramatic. It has way to many Disney characteristics to be a very good movie. Unlike the guys comment above this, if you put more famous actors in it, no matter how many it still wouldn't win an Oscar, but it was fairly descent showing the ugly side of humanity, but they still portrayed the Africans as being somewhat helpless. Although they wanted to help themselves and they wanted to learn to read and write English, it still portrayed them as being to weak to do it alone so they need the whites to do it not many movies about Africa portray they whites as weak but they all seem to show the blacks as somewhat inferior. I really think they need to work on fixing that. However if you are looking for a good film about based in Africa get the movie Somewhere In Africa. Its a foreign film with subtitles. Its a true story about a Jewish family who leaves Germany in about 1937 because they feel something bad is going to happen soon. It is based around the daughter and how she adapts to Africa and how here parents begin to separate emotionally (and physically) its a very good movie i recommend that any day above the power of one, but if you really wanna see The Power Of One, its not worth not seeing.

Awe inspiring film of love and loss and personal strength.

[JillyBean · 10/10 · 3 December 2000]

The first time I saw this movie I fell in love with it. This remarkable story of a young boy who grew up completely surrounded by hate in the midst of apartheid in South Africa during World War II. In this movie we see the pains that this boy endures in his life and how he turns that into personal strength. The courage that he has to face up to apartheid is remarkable and the parrallelism between his boxing and his political convictions is remarkable. I found myself so drawn into the life of P.K. so much that I had to go out and read the book by Bryce Courtney. The soundtrack is also remarkable; the music provides a perfect backdrop to the story line and it is equally as powerful.

If the world had to fight their own battles, none of the ones for justice would be won.

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 29 March 2024]

It's obvious from the time that the British Peter Keith is a child in South Africa that he will be a fighter for what is right as opposed to what he has been taught. A black nanny whose son is his childhood best friend, a black mentor (Morgan Freeman) who teaches him how to fight and various black friends he makes while in college show him the truth, and see the truth from within him. He fakes prejudice simply to fool racist law enforcers, and ultimately, he's one of the champions in the fight against apartheid.

The character of Peter is seen in three stages of his life with three different actors narrating and acting out those periods. Ultimately, it is Stephen Dorff who plays Peter in young adulthood, his friendship with Gideon Duma (Alois Moyo) one of true brotherhood, touching in its sincerity, and giving Peter the courage to continue to fight. Old enemies, the father of the young lady he loves and a society bent on control and destruction are the obstacles he must face.

Tom Sizemore as the older childhood bully is a Dutch South African whose Nazi past remains heavy in his evil soul as he fights to keep apartheid as the wave of control. Having done some vile things to the defenseless young Peter will stir hatred to this character throughout the film. Armin Mueller-Stahl, John Gielgud, Brian O'Shaughnessy and Marius Weyers are other memorable actors who pop in and out of Peter's story.

This is an ambitious film, proudly directed by John Avieldsen, that while enlightening flows from one incident to another and seems to drag in trying to meld all the pieces together. It is certainly a good looking film and has a glorious musical score by Hans Zimmer, but there are too many situational issues that don't always gel. Individual performances are great, and the three actors playing Peter in the three different stages do seem like one life. It's one of those potential masterpieces that just didn't fully work, and that's a bit of a sad let down.

They don't make movies like this anymore -thank God

[rimsey-2 · 1/10 · 17 July 1999]

The most cliche-ridden bunch of crap I've seen for a while. Most movies have learnt to avoid too many cliches but this one is drawn to them like a jackal to left-over offal -it just can't keep its snout out of it.

The undoubtedly well-intentioned story falls into the trap of portraying all Afrikaaners as scum-sucking vermin while all the blacks are kind-hearted good guys.

I thought the 2 actors who portrayed the younger PK were obnoxious and the cutesy voice-over from the youngest PK made me wish those horrible Afrikaaner boarding students had been more successful in their efforts to string him up. The prison camp scene where the teenage PK conducts a black choir came across to me as patronising to black people (they're incapable of forming or conducting their own choir without the help of some pissanty little white kid in short pants for God's sake)

In the end I was cringing in my seat as I could predict each embarrassingly tacky moment. You don't fight racism with stories and movies like this which only reinforce the good guy-bad guy stereotypes.