Last Station, The

UK 2009, 112 minutes
Dir. Michael Hoffman
Rating: [M]
Genres: Drama

Topics: Biopic, Literary Arts, Late-life, Period - 1910s, Philosophy.

Feat. Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, Paul Giamatti, James McAvoy, Kerry Condon, Patrick Kennedy, Anne-Marie Duff, John Sessions

Aroview: Enchanting and poignant in equal measure, this splendidly realised drama utilises a top flight cast to depict the tumultuous last year of the life of Leo Tolstoy.

Plummer plays the revered Russian author, whose great legacy and loyalty and is torn between his ascetic principles and the love of his possessive wife (Mirren), which serves as a rich metaphor for the wider political struggle of the time, and equally resonates as an enduring philosophical dilemma. Playing devil's advocate is the wonderful Paul Giamatti as the bolshy leader of the devoted Tolstoyan sect, while James McAvoy also lights up the screen as the fresh face of pragmatism. Intelligent, romantic and well-rounded, it possesses the style and substance of a tragicomic Chekhov play.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-3 of 3 member reviews.

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4 stars (Very Good) OK, so the story of Leo Tolstoy's final years is going to be a hard sell in the multiplex-dominated world of today. But it's worth investing time in this ostensibly little movie for an acting masterclass from Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren. ~The Myrka
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4 stars (Very Good) Although the editing was noticeable at times the script is strong, the plot interesting,and the props/locations are great - but above all there is a top actress at the top of her form. ~Tubbs
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3 stars (Good Enough) Romantic without being idealistic thanks to American author & performance by British actors in tidy Germany. Unique Russian spirit, intense religious sensibility & turbulent feeling of this period only 7 years before the Revolution dissipated. ~Sandy