Triage (2009) User Reviews

Great story, poorly done...

[penandpaper52 · 6/10 · 12 September 2009]

Firstly, let me just say that the TIFF audience did seem to like it and they responded well to it. There were quite a few moments of light humour that were enjoyed and the Q&A session revealed that a lot of people truly were touched by the movie.

Next, let me say that the story was quite powerful. The character played by Farrel was developed and real. It would be hard not to be emotionally effected by this film, and it would be hard not to leave with something to think about.

Unfortunately, a great story and a great character don't make for a great movie. While many of the scenes were spectacular and a lot of the dialogue worked quite well, on a whole the film didn't do its story justice. It actually felt, much of the time, as if I were watching the subplot of another film. In fact, if you've watched enough war films you'll probably find that this movie WAS the subplot to many of those films. That alone doesn't equal a bad film, but it does make it more challenging for the film to hold its own. That didn't happen. Farrel's character--due to his acting as well as the writer/director's desire to explore that type of character--was fine through and through, but the characters around him all tended to speak their lines solely for the purposes of advancing Farrel's character, or to push out a philosophy of war. To illustrate this, just pay attention to the scene in which we're introduced to the grandfather, Christopher Lee's character. That scene introduces a whole back story and turbulent relationship that has nothing to do with anything... it was just pinned on the story awkwardly so as to justify a powerful speech in which he defended his questionable actions in a long-ago war. Well, that's pretty much what the rest of the story felt like. And the payoff wasn't great. It ended mostly how you expect it will end, and gives a message we've heard from a thousand other films.

So, again, if I had the option, I'd give this story a 9/10. The execution of the story remains a 6.

Peacefullness in a grown man; that is not a good sign.

[lastliberal · 7/10 · 22 August 2010]

As a teenager, Elena (Paz Vega) hated her grandfather (Christopher Lee) because he was a "fascist." He treated the fascist leaders after the Spanish War. His explanation of why he did so was most interesting, and showed him to possibly be a great psychiatrist.

She called upon him to treat her war photographer boyfriend (Colin Farrell) after he returned from Kurdistan and was undergoing leg paralysis that was psychosomatic. Their exchanges as Mark (Farrell) relived his war experiences were fascinating, as were Dr. Morales' soliloquies.

The film was excellent in showing the cost of war is far higher than the dollars and cents we spend to fight them. Without adequate treatment, those who return will suffer the rest of their lives for their experiences. Farrell was excellent as was Lee.

The scars of war

[jotix100 · 6/10 · 23 May 2013]

Mark and David, two photographers following the conflict in Kurdistan, experience things they probably did not take into consideration before getting involved in that war. Mark is bolder, while David begins to unravel before his best buddy's eyes. When David decides to pack it in, Mark is devastated, as he is left alone facing death and ultimately being badly wounded.

When Mark arrives back in Ireland, his life takes a turn for the worst. He has no reason for feeling this way; after all, he is happily married to Elena, his Spanish wife, who cannot comprehend what is going on through Mark's mind. Part of the problem is the fact that Diane, David's wife is expecting. His guilt about the missing friend is behind everything. Elena has the brilliant idea to summon her grandfather, a wise man, who tries, to unravel Mark's pent up feelings. The truth finally comes out, as we watch in horror the odyssey he went through with David.

Directed by Danis Tanovic, "Triage", is an exercise in survival while being in the worst possible situations. Based on Scott Anderson's novel, which we have not read, the film makes a case on the horrors of a war which Mark experienced. He was a man who showed fearlessness capturing the conflict for publications that are willing to pay to show his images. But everything changes in a second when his best friend has had it. Mark's is guilt ridden for a secret he is not ready to share with anyone.

Colin Farrell gives one of the most intense performances of his career, under Mr. Tanovic's inspired direction. Branko Djuric, playing Dr. Talzani made an impression on his approach to his role. The great Christopher Lee shows up as Elena's grandfather, a man that has seen war first hand, and has suffered for his involvement. Paz Vega and Kelly Reilly have nothing to do in the film.

For a film that was shot in Spain, which serves as the distant Kurdistan, the cinematographer, Seamus Deasey, does wonders to photograph the action and makes it real.

Contrived Passions

[Parag_Adhikari · 6/10 · 4 March 2010]

Definitely a worth wile movie to watch, regardless of its overthrowing qualities and contrived passions. A traumatized war photo-journalist, returns home from kurdistan, taking the pictures more that he can hoard. But not just the pictures, he is consulted by the psychiatrist and the movie unfolds. The movie hits rock bottom when his psychiatrist tells him "We can't take the pain away, we have to live with it forever...this is called life" when the protagonist is lying on his bed. Collin Ferrell acting is great like always (Cassandra's dream, In bruges). Overall he does justice to the movie. To be honest this movie seems as it is well behind its time, in moments i felt like it was 80's film. What i actually mean is the movie would have nominated for awards if it was 80's, 2010 was a wrong time. The overall acting is good,I like the score too, the worst part is the movie itself. The movie doesn't lead us anywhere, nonetheless this movie is different than other in the respect that, it doesn't attenuates like other movie. It only gets denser after every minute of it. Last but no the least great story this movie had potential and i myself was expecting much from it but overall the movie is mediocre. 6/10

Specialist, low-budget, low-key but praise-able

[tombrookes2007 · 6/10 · 2 March 2011]

Specialist, low-budget, low-key but praise-able Colin Farrell stars in this tough, low budget British war film, as an army photographer right in the thick of Iraqi fighting war-zones. He returns home to Ireland and struggles to readjust, being shell shocked.

The story, although very real, sometimes seems diluted and gets lost. The acting is effortless, solid and ultimately low-key, like the film, and fails to be anything but unimpressive - even if commendable in nature. The tone is moody, chilling at times and the pace is slow and emotion building (making it hard to submerse in).

In Summary - Not everyone's cup of tea and almost too morose to be enjoyed. I think Farrell fans will prefer it as he is the main piece. A commendable production.

Slow start, but then enters wise man Christopher Lee

[OJT · 7/10 · 7 October 2013]

Triage is a term used for humanity killing of a seriously wounded. This film starts off with teaching us this, by some war photographers experiencing this in Kurdistan, a region where the Kurds live, in the border of the Asian countries of Turkey, Iran and Syria.

The two befriended experienced Irish war photographers are getting tired of being exposed to war, and one feel more than the other that this has to end. They want to go back to their beloved back home. But they split up, and when Mark gets back home he is changed. His partner hasn't shown up, though it's just days until he's to become a father.

This film is well done, but starts too slow. It might put you off. But this is the only place this story fails, because when now 91 years old Christopher Lee (in the film 86 years old, just as he was back then when filming) enters the film grows by yards! Showing which amazing actor he is, still filming actively 4-6 films each year, with more than 200 films in his belt, the latest is the 2nd and 3rd Hobbit-films as Saruman.

He boosts the interest in the film by his mere presence, as the grandfather of Mark's beloved. He enters as the wise man and savior. And up the film goes from a 4/10 to a 7/10. Amazing!

Yellow card. Blue card.

[UptownRox · 6/10 · 3 June 2018]

A top notch cast accompanies Colin Farrell in this one. It has some really fine production value for what must've been a small budget. There are some powerful, emotional moments that, though everything has been shown before in war, scratch some new surface and find some new wounds.

All the things that worked really well though are in constant balance with the kinda vague and unexplored emotional moments that push so much of the plot along.

For example, after the explosion is finally revealed, and we learn Mark has been lying about what happened while in-country, the first question I wanted his wife to ask was where's David? She's shown interest in helping find David behind Mark's back, and this is the big question hanging over the story, yet she doesn't ask. She plays a complacent role here, not the critical one that would've been more natural, more interesting, and created far more tension.

It was here I realized that the character's discoveries all seem to happen while alone. This is something you can get away with in a novel, it usually works quite well, you have some space for internal monologue. But the adaptation here doesn't fill in the needed space that the book clearly created with internal monologue and those internal moments. In a movie this leaves the characters seeming disconnected, and lacking emotionally robustness or color. Internalizing in a movie works very well when done properly, as say Apocalypse Now did so perfectly. I think having another screenwriter adapt the novel, or touch it up, would've benefited greatly. I feel like the director was probably too close to it to see where his screenplay wasn't working.

The grandfather interactions and the war story vignettes. These are the high points of the movie. The baby-step in the present/flashback of the past format itself is memorable and would've been interesting to shape the whole movie around the format. As it is, the entire movie starts too late, with much of the first hour not being potent or being redundant plot that the grandfather interactions cover. The grandfather as the emotional translator and detective, this is a fascinating and dark relationship. I imagine the novelist felt on his game writing these scenes. Much more of this relationship could've been explored.

As an example of the vague, internalized moments that were not translated onto the screen-- after Mark has finally revealed what happened with David, an emotional interaction, the scene ends with an "off" moment: the grandfather shakes his head at Mark, and Mark looks vague and looks down. His internal processing is unknown. Another vague moment. Colin Farrell does great with the material he has, but it's clear the adaptation isn't there, the moment isn't captured in the screenplay.

A second example-- after the birth. The woman has become a mother and a widow on the same day. That's powerful and will shape the rest of her life. It's a well-thought out character by the novelist, yet in the movie, how could the widow be so quick and easy to forgive a few hours after she's found out her husband was killed, and she'd been lied to about for days or weeks. It's a powerful place for a person to be, not unrealistic in the grieving process, yet we don't see that transition. And that's an important relationship in the story, as Mark can't move on without her forgiveness or closure.

In the end I couldn't identify with the main character emotionally unless he was talking in flashback; there his reflections were visualized, and allowed us to experience his conflict with him.

The Numbing. Destructive Silences of War Experience

[gradyharp · 8/10 · 1 July 2010]

TRIAGE is a well chosen title for this film about who survives an who dies in war: at times those triage decisions are made by serendipity (read 'bad luck'), at times they are made by physicians or medics tending the wounded on the battlefield, and at times they are submerged in the apparent 'survivors' only to later crush the life from those who make it home. Writer/Director Danis Tanovic has adapted Scott Anderson's novel is a manner that carries the seemingly simple act of 'triage' throughout the film, showing how that action can affect the lives of friends, family, and psychological wholeness of the victim.

Mark Walsh (Colin Farrell, in yet another powerful role) and his buddy David (Jamie Sives) are war photographers for a newspaper edited by Amy (Juliet Stevenson). Their current assignment is Kurdistan and the terrifying realities they not only experience but also commit to film are of such a horrid nature that they both are in shock: they not only witness killings and landmine explosion deaths, but they also watch one Dr. Talani (Branko Djuric) triage the wounded, deciding who can survive care and who is so near death that they are put aside to be later 'executed' by Dr. Talani in a compassionate gesture to end their futile suffering. The tension is so great that David decides to return home, leaving Mark to carry on the assignment. An explosion occurs and Mark is seriously injured but survives and after being tended by Dr. Talani he is encouraged to return home. There is no news as to where David is.

Mark returns home to his adoring Elena (Paz Vega), presents his photographs to Amy, and begins to heal: David's wife Diane (Kelly Reilly) is due to deliver their first child in two weeks and has had no word from David. We watch as Mark, eroded by his experiences in Kurdistan, retreat into a state of decline. Elena grows fearful as Mark, despite hospitalizations and medical care, continues to deteriorate and out of desperation she calls her grandfather Joaquin, a psychiatrist who treated the victims of the Spanish Civil War (Elena is still angry that her own grandfather treated the perpetrators of the destruction that war caused). Joaquin slowly brings Mark into the acceptance of how his mind has triaged the events in Kurdistan and leads Mark to discover the truths about incidents in what war for which he has blamed himself. We finally understand David's disappearance at the moment when his and Diane's child is born.

This is a tough story to watch: subtitles would help the audience understand the many dialects used in the film. But the message is clear and the acting is superb by every member of the cast, even very small but cogent cameos by Reece Ritchie as a boy in Beirut and Dada Ashi as a Ugandan woman - two of the early incidents Mark must remember and face in his work with Joaquin. The cinematography is dazzling, especially the use of flashbacks of a raging river so important in Mark's memory recall, and the constant focus on the blue and yellow tags that mark the triage decisions. This is another powerful anti-war film, this time as seen through the eyes of a non-combatant observer. It is important to see.

Grady Harp

Farrell Being Moody Who Would Have Guessed

[damianphelps · 6/10 · 28 January 2024]

Triage explores the haunting aftermath of war through the lens of a war photographer.

Colin Farrell delivers a compelling performance (but as mentioned a little sulky), capturing the emotional toll of conflict on the human psyche.

The film's introspective approach delves into the complexities of PTSD and moral dilemmas faced by those who document war. It does this in a moderately interesting way.

The narrative unfolds with a slow burn, allowing for a deep connection with the characters. However, the pacing may test patience.

Triage offers a thought-provoking perspective on the wounds of war, but its somber tone might not be for everyone.

Christopher Lee Steals the show :)

War trauma drama

[KineticSeoul · 5/10 · 28 February 2011]

This movie is basically about how even a photojournalist(Colin Farrell) who is a vet at taking pictures of war and death can be traumatized. The story starts off with a very ambitious journalist and photographer that sees the horrors of war with his partner and best friend. The thing is at first I just didn't think the stuff he went through in the beginning section of the movie would be enough to traumatize a person like the photojournalist in the movie. But there is enough flashbacks later on to show the reason why. I personally thought it should have put more emphasis on the horrors of war and the part about the photojournalist's wife figuring out the change in her husband seemed to drag. Also some of the situation just isn't all that believable, and believability is a key factor for a movie like this. And most of the story revolve around digging into the photojournalist's mind because of his change in character and the change in his character isn't anything all that terrible. It starts to pick up and get a bit interesting when Christopher Lee who is basically a psychologist in this is put into the equation. And the digging of the mind got interesting and this movie has some good parts. But the direction and everything else isn't all that well made in a professional manner and just seemed like a work done by a novice. Now not all movies should look professional in order for it to be better, but this is the type of film that would have been better if it went that direction.

5.5/10

Taut War Drama

[nyshrink · 9/10 · 1 September 2010]

This film deserved better than a straight-to-DVD release.

The story begins in Iraqi Kurdistan, shortly before Saddam Hussein gassed thousands of Kurds to quell a rebellion. Colin Farrell and Jamie Sives portray two photojournalists who ride along with the rebels. Because the Kurds have no real army or government, medical care given to the wounded is...frugal. Farrell's character, Mark, converses with a doctor who believes in relieving people's suffering. Mark initially finds it hard to understand the doctor's point of view. Sives' character, David, decides to quit rather than take one more chance and starts a long walk back from the front lines. The next thing we see is a wounded Mark (Colin Farrell) and we don't know what happened to David.

The rest of the film takes place in Ireland, sort of. It moves back and forth from scenes of Mark's life as the traumatized husband of a beautiful woman who feels locked out by his shell-shocked remoteness, and Mark's various wartime memories, as he describes them to his wife's grandfather, a therapist who once treated war criminals. The therapist starts to figure out from the threads of Mark's different stories what might have happened to David. What is fascinating is Mark's unconscious selection of images from his mind that inadvertently reveal the truth to the therapist. As a therapist myself, this was the most interesting part of the movie for me.

Farrell convincingly portrays a man wracked by grief and guilt. Christopher Lee is excellent as a somewhat egomaniacal healer whose political views differ from those of his daughter. The rest of the cast is also good and Paz and Farrell seem to have sexual chemistry.

Not really about the war conflict itself but certainly worth a watch.

[deloudelouvain · 7/10 · 28 January 2021]

Triage is more a drama than a war movie, or more an anti-war movie in this case. It's a drama about a photo journalist suffering from post traumatic stress disorder after witnessing some disturbing events when he was in Kurdistan for another photo shoot. Colin Farrell did a good believable job playing this character. The rest of the cast was also very convincing. Triage is a bit low budget but it's certainly worth a watch. The story is good enough to keep your attention. Don't expect a fast pace but more a slow but compelling plot that contains some brutal war scenes.

It tries but at the end it is an amateur effort.

[nikolobg · 3/10 · 16 March 2010]

I blame the director and the script writer. This movie has good parts, but at the end if i had to pin the bad it is the way the story was put together. You see an 'amateur' directing with a vision which i could not agree with. I had trouble expressing whats wrong with this movie but there it is - an amateur story telling.

Without giving spoilers, i found my self disagreeing with the tempo of the action, the forced confrontations and negotiations, the arguments for why the characters are acting this way. It seemed that they were doing it because the director demanded it for the next scene to make sense. Even in small things like the doctor saying to Farrell 'we found you by the river'... seemed to say to me, so that's why you are here as you see we have a river in this country and you were by it and we found you, and so there you go, that's why you are back here with me lets move on .... made me angry.

So i disliked the movie as it was forced. Farrell is nice but working with this script/director is a pain to watch.

shells shocked after taking the ultimate picture of war blurs two realities to him he has the key to unlock a mystery to a friend disapearing

[lark40 · 7/10 · 26 August 2016]

shell shocked or triage in America came 2009 this film is 1h 39min of a | Drama, Mystery, War set in Kurdistan and Ireland i gave it 7/10 The wife of a photojournalist sets out to discover why he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague. Director:Danis Tanovic sets a Excellent Psychological War Drama with a mystery element Colin Farrell's character is outstanding .best fiends mark and David played by James sives are two expert at war photographers sent to war torn Kurdistan highly ambitious mark is intentent on pursuing the fighting in search of the ultimate shot but David has enough living amongst such brutality and leaves to go home to a wife who is pregnant mark returns home battered and bruised he is surprised to learn David has not yet made it back exhausted and ill he tries in vain to hide his physical and psychological wounds his uncharacteristically strange behavior prompts wife Elena (vega)to enlist the help of her grandfather straight talking Spanish psychiatrist( lee) who worked with treating fascists after they committed atrocities in the civil war uncovering the painful truth it soon becomes clear that mark holds the key to the real reaason behind David disappearance written and directed by the director who done no mans land .shell shock Ir triage is a gripping story about war shooting and explosions and killings. At the age of 86, actor Christopher Lee had to learn more lines of dialogue for his role in "Triage" than for any other film he has done before. His career spanned more than 60 years and over 300 film and TV productions I was very moved by this film. I loved the pacing, the movement back and forth in time, the many-layered meanings of the word "triage". Colin Farrell's work just gets better and better, he is fast becoming my favorite actor. The camera work is gorgeous too, kudos to the DP.

I'll keep this review short, but suffice it to say, this is a Must-See. Right up there with some other finely wrought journalism/war films, like "Welcome to Sarajevo," and general war films, like John Boorman's "Beyond Rangoon." I'm ordering the book to read and then plan to re-watch the film too. It's not often an author pulls of a great adaptation, but judging from the film, he sure did here Rated R for war violence, disturbing images, language, brief sexuality and nudity Mark and David are best friends, photo journalists going from war to war. In the spring of 1988, they're in Kurdistan, at an isolated mountain clinic, waiting for an offensive. wants to go home to Dublin to his pregnant wife. He leaves, with Mark promising to follow in a few days. A week or so later, Mark's home after being wounded, but David's not been heard from. Mark's slow recovery and uncharacteristic behavior alarm his girlfriend, Elena, who asks her grandfather, a Spanish psychologist, to come to Dublin to help. Are there things the carefree and detached journalist is bottling up? Is he a casualty of war Colin Farrell ... Mark Walsh Paz Vega ... Elena Morales Christopher Lee ... Joaquín Morales Jamie Sives ... David

This Spain/Ireland/Belgium/France co-production about war correspondents is nicely narrated in hight sensitivity and intelligence .

[ma-cortes · 7/10 · 4 August 2023]

Mark (Colin Farrell) and David (Jamie Sives) are best friends , two photojournalists going from war to war. In the spring of 1988, they're in Kurdistan , at an isolated mountain clinic run by peculiar Dr. Talzani (Branko Djuric) who uses expeditious methods among wounded soldiers , while waiting for an offensive . David's had enough - he wants to go home to Dublin to find his pregnant wife Diane (Kelly Reilly) . He leaves , with Mark promising to follow in a few days . A week or so later , he came home from a recent assignment without his colleague . Mark's return home after being injured , but David's not been heard from . Mark's slow recovery and uncharacteristic behavior alarm his sweetheart , Elena (Paz Vega) , who sets out to discover why his wounds and asks her grandfather (Christopher Lee) , a Spanish psychologist who lived the Spanish Civil War , to come to Dublin to help .

This decent film shot by Oscar winner Danis Tanovic , is based on the novel Triage, whose author is the foreign correspondent Scott Anderson who reported from Uganda , Beirut , Chechenia or Bosnia , countries torn by war. The film is developed in great sense of ductility and fairness , while showing the horror of war . It's a fascinating warlike film described in a serious and psychological style , including a final twist . The screenplay tackles issues about the horror of war , morality and ethic , similar to Danis Tanovic's big hit : ¨No man's land¨. Adding an emotive musical score by composer Lucio Godoy and adequately colorful cinematography by cameraman Seamus Deasy .

The picture was nicely directed by Danis Tanovic , although it has some imperfections and drops in rhythm . Being director Danis Tanovic's first movie with English as its main language . Winning some awards and nominations : Cinema for Peace Special Award to Danis Tanovic ; Nominated Cinema for Peace Award ; Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Film of the Year Danis Tanovic ; Rome Film Festival and Nominated Golden Marc'Aurelio Award . Tanovic film debut was ¨No man's land¨ , it's a sour denounce facing the war realized with dark humor including a keen critic to the role of United Nations , ¨U. N.¨ , in which two soldiers from opposing sides confront in a bloody conflict with notes of acute and sharp comedy , as they become trapped in no man's land , whilst a third soldier becomes a living booby trap . This flick obtained a well deserved Oscar winner for best foreign language picture . Tanovic is a fine craftsman who has made some good films , such as : ¨Tigers¨, "An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker" and ¨Triage¨ that also wrote the screenplay and produced . Rating : Above average . Well catching.

If you think there are too many anti-war films out there, think again!

[kodpropalogfudbalera · 10/10 · 25 March 2010]

Being a fan of Danis Tanovic's films, I couldn't wait to see his third movie „Triage". I finally watched it last night, of course, a pirated copy of the film, which still did not spoil the film for me, not even one bit. The reason why I mention these technicalities is basically just to say that not even poor sound quality compounded by a frustrating inability to appreciate fully the whole atmospheric environment that Danovic creates for the viewers with much finesse and eye for detail, takes away from the fact that this is simply a film worth watching. I tend to think that movie aficionado from the third world, being forced to choose between watching pirated copies of films that never make it to the local cinemas and not watching them at all, are actually watching these films stripped of all their non-essential elements. If the movie passes this test, I think it can be safely said that everyone's time, the film crew's time and the audience's time has been used to a good effect.

Before seeing it, I knew that the movie was about a photographer going to the war zone. That alone would have been enough for me to decide against spending 99 minutes of my otherwise super exciting life on it had someone else directed it. I say this because I myself watched them take photos of people running for their lives in the streets of Sarajevo. I vividly remember one of them taking a photo of a woman running over the stretch of the road that was exposed to sniper fire with canisters in her hands unsuspecting that having reached safety she would start hitting him full force with those canisters out of sheer frustration. On the one hand, it's not like he could have asked for her consent to be photographed in not too dignified a pose. On the other hand, one may say that being too preoccupied with survival she is not even remotely thinking at that moment about how this and no other photo may turn out to be the most symbolic of her plight. Not to digress too far, Colin Farrel's character in the movie and his best friend are off to Kurdistan to capture with their cameras yet another offensive in the two centuries long history of warfare in that country. This is the land where the situation spinned out of control long time ago. These are the people who live out their existence stripped of any real choices. It is this lack of choice and the bravery with which ordinary men like Dr Talzani and Cristopher Lee's character face it that form important aspects of this anti-war film that is so much more than that. As for Mark Walsh (Colin Farrel), his drama is taken to the extreme, probably the extremest I've seen on film recently. I will stop here in order not to spoil the film for those of you who may read this and haven't seen it yet.

Finally, let me briefly respond to some of the criticism leveled against „Triage". In some comments it is said that it should have been shot in Kurdistan with more Kurds in it to add to its authenticity. Well, production-dictated requirements aside, „No Man's Land" was shot in Slovenia and it does not take away from the movie's authenticity. Besides, he wants his movies to be universal, hence the references to different places across the globe in this movie. As for the comment about the relationship between characters being strained and used solely for the purpose of delivering big lines, I must say that I did not detect that strain while watching the movie and though it may be because of the poor sound quality of the pirated copy, I'm more inclined to attribute it to Tanovic's habit of using dialogue as if he was staging a play and not directing a film. To those who call him an amateur, Tanovic so far worked with Katrin Cartlidge, Miki Manojlovic, Emannuele Beart, Branko Djuric, Colin Farrel, is friends with great film-makers such as Mike Leigh, made his three feature films in three different languages and won positive acclaim at big international film festivals. I rest my case.

central secret gets tiring

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 23 September 2016]

It's 1988. War photographer Mark Walsh (Colin Farrell) is in Kurdistan with best friend David. They photograph triage where Dr. Talzani mercy kills his terminal patients. Mark is eager to join the expected Peshmerga offensive but David is desperate to go home to his pregnant wife Diane (Kelly Reilly). They seemingly split up. David returns to Dublin alone. His girlfriend Elena Morales (Paz Vega) is horrified by his state. He claims to got washed away in a river and that David left days before him. Mark is deteriorating and Elena calls in her psychologist grandfather Joaquín Morales (Christopher Lee) for help. She is estranged from him for his work with the Spanish dictatorship.

There is a good story here. The characters and the actors are solid. The central secret gets a bit tiresome. It's obvious something happened but the reveal is disappointing. The actual incident should be much more Mark's fault to justify his overwhelming guilt. In reality, he is only fractionally at fault and a really small fraction at that. I'm also not a fan of a lot of psychobabble talk especially when the movie is only geared towards the secret. Elena and her grandfather have a much better talk. His explanation of his work in Spain is one of the highlights.

excellent

[endura-1 · 8/10 · 6 April 2010]

What a performance from Mr Farrell. I didn't expect anything special when got the movie but it surprised me. Was very well thought, told a good story and the performance of the cast was outstanding. The story is about two friends who go to war-torn Kurdistan and leave behind their wives one of which is very pregnant. I should stop here because revealing more of the plot is revealing the ending and I don't want that. Triage is going to capture your imagination, and make you feel and understand what goes on in war journalist head. I for the first time tried to understand the character's (Mark) motivations and felt that I'm not being lied to. I'm grateful that it's not just another war flick, with loads of kabooom going on, but a deep psychological study of a person who witnessed something that was beyond his mind's capacity. I recommend it because it made me realise that 'in war there are no winners only losers' and this applies to passive witness as well.

HE REALLY ISN'T WELL

[nogodnomasters · 4/10 · 24 June 2019]

Mark (Colin Farrell) and David (Jim Sives) are war photographers working in Kurdistan during their war against Iraq (1988?). They are long time friends. David's wife (Kelly Reilly) is expecting. During the photographing, David loses his stomach for the war zone and decides to turn back while Mark keeps on working on his Pulitzer. Mark gets badly injured and manages to limp home after being in a Kurdish field hospital for a few days, one where the doctor has limited resources and regularly performs mercy killings. When Mark arrives home, David who left before him isn't there and Mark is acting strange, a case of PTSD.

Christopher Lee, feigning a Spanish accent acts as a psychologist to get to the truth, one that most viewers should have already figured out.

Having never been in a war zone, or know anyone who has PTSD, I couldn't relate to the movie as well as someone in that situation. For them, I am sure this film has more meaning. I found the film to be slow moving. Christopher Lee and Colin Farrell were not convincing in their roles. I didn't like the constant crying piano sound track. I don't feel the film really deals with PTSD, but rather exploits it to create a mediocre film. Unless you want to watch a film that deals specifically with PTSD, I would suggest something else.

F-bomb, groping, nudity (Colin Farrell)

Moving on

[kosmasp · 8/10 · 20 December 2010]

If you like this movie, you should go out and buy/rent "No man's land" from the same director. I haven't seen "L'Enfer" yet, but I'm sure that one is good too. At first I was amazed by the actors at hand here, but the script proves to have been a big part in their involvement. The dialogue and the delivery is just spot on.

And when you watch Christopher Lee going one-on-one with Colin Farrell, you just wish there could have been more scenes, with those two together. There is a great chemistry surrounding them and when they grace the screen together it's almost like magic. There is this constant pushing and delivering, that makes those scenes special.

But of course, the rest of the movie is not lacking in tension and/or good performances. Quite the contrary. Especially the doctor and the others involved all have there scenes. The editing does the rest and makes this more than above average.

Quite Boring! 3/10

[leonblackwood · 3/10 · 15 September 2013]

Review: Although the story is quite deep, I found it to be slow and in some ways, pretty boring. Colin Farrell puts in a good performance, but its the pace of the movie that lets it down. I was good to see Christopher Lee back on screen and when the whole story unfolds, it wasn't too bad, but the director chose to use the suspense element which was quite a bad choice. By the end of the movie I was left feeling quite empty and not that entertained, which was a shame because the concept was OK. Average!

Round-Up: I did end up falling asleep through a bit of this film because I was waiting for something major to happen. I understand that its was supposed to be a psychological drama that was based on the traumatic effect of what Farrell witnessed in Kurdistan, which is why I decided to give the movie a chance in the first place, but I still struggled to to keep my eyes open. In all, its not the type of film that I would be watching again any time soon.

I recommend this movie to people who into there psychological dramas based on the experience of a journalist in the Middle East. 3/10

A Must-See

[KarenSantaFe · 10/10 · 4 April 2011]

I was very moved by this film. I loved the pacing, the movement back and forth in time, the many-layered meanings of the word "triage". Colin Farrell's work just gets better and better, he is fast becoming my favorite actor. The camera work is gorgeous too, kudos to the DP.

I'll keep this review short, but suffice it to say, this is a Must-See. Right up there with some other finely wrought journalism/war films, like "Welcome to Sarajevo," and general war films, like John Boorman's "Beyond Rangoon." I'm ordering the book to read and then plan to re-watch the film too. It's not often an author pulls of a great adaptation, but judging from the film, he sure did here.

Weak to prove a point

[ebubekirdogan02 · 4/10 · 10 January 2022]

When the Halepce massacre happened it happened in Iraq by the time event happened there is nothing to do with Turkey! When Colin Farrell draw the map on to wall than I understand this movie it's going anywhere! Clearly the director didn't do his homework...!

Excellent Psychological War Drama

[mrcibubur · 8/10 · 27 February 2010]

this is the third of the 2009 Colin Farrell movies which I have recently following on from Doctor Parnassus and Crazy Heart but this surely is his finest acting performance in a movie to date.

There are many movies of course about war and more recently about Iraq. this is not really an Iraq war story but Colin Farrell does play as a war journalist in Kurdistan and returns from there with a trauma wjhich engrosses the main story of the film.

the film title of TRIAGE is a strange one and requires looking up as to meaning before or after watching the movie. the context of TRIAGE within the movie occurs as i recall in only one actual scene of the film when the Kurdistani Doctor is seen having to play 'God' in order to decide who lives and dies.

Like the American movie 'Brothers', somebody returns from a war-torn drama with a psychological trauma and with a story to tell which is not what the folks back home are expecting. Farrells acting performance is spot on all the way and there are one or two graphic scenes in the film, one near the end, which will definitely make you flinch and probably weep.

overall this is not a powerful film like The Hurt Locker and I disagree with the earlier comment about the Grandfather. He clearly has an important part to play in the movie and Farrell links to all the main characters effortlessly.

Okay it was not filmed in Kurdistan for whatever reason and Kurdistani actors/extra may or may not have been used.

Despite the graphic scenes, I commend this movie for viewing. It is not top notch but it is certainly entertaining.

Would have liked to have seen more focus on the concept of the film title and exploration of issues relating to triage rather than the story which eventually evolved between the character of mark Walsh (Farrell) and his best friend David. I really doubt many people will watch the movie and know what TRIAGE means.

Not on general release anywhere I understand, privileged to watch it on good quality DVD.

boring, typical, ordinary

[NijazBaBs · 5/10 · 5 March 2021]

I am neither amazed nor disappointed. Everything is so ordinary, middle, boring. There are few emotions and interesting war actions, and empathy for the wounded and dead. The worst part is talk, which is so slow, boring, forced... Can't be compared to better war movies like Saving Private Ryan (1998) or Beyond Borders (2003), which are much more deep, real, emotional, scary, easy to remember. This one is too amateur.