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Far from Men(Loin des hommes)

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France · 2014
1h 50m
Director David Oelhoffen
Starring Viggo Mortensen, Reda Kateb, Djemel Barek, Vincent Martin
Genre Drama, War

A French teacher in a small Algerian village during the Algerian War forms an unexpected bond with a dissident who is ordered to be turned in to the authorities.

Stream Far from Men

What are people saying?

What are critics saying?

83

The A.V. Club by

Nobody moseys like Viggo Mortensen. In "The Road," "Appaloosa," "Jauja," and the new French Western Far From Men, the erstwhile Aragorn masters the tricky art of being a figure in the landscape.

75

Slant Magazine by Chuck Bowen

The film often suggests a less defiant cover of The Defiant Ones, yet it's a must-see for Viggo Mortensen's characteristically wonderful performance.

83

The Playlist by Jessica Kiang

It is simply a great, traditional Western: the language and cultural details may be different, but the sparse elegance and moral conundrums are familiar and as resonant as ever.

100

CineVue by John Bleasdale

The film is heartfelt and sincere in its concern to understand conflict and the plight of good men when they're forced to make impossible choices.

70

The New York Times by Manohla Dargis

Camus sets the movie’s initial course, but Mr. Oelhoffen resolutely steers it home with political context, historical hindsight, an unambiguous moral imperative and a pair of well-matched performances; put another way, he makes the story his own.

70

The Dissolve by Mike D'Angelo

The new ending Oelhoffen has dreamed up is unsatisfying—Camus’ version was sharper, nastier, more credible—and the film never strays far from genre convention, but it’s refreshing to see a sincere paean to nobility, honor, and courage, especially one that periodically elevates the pulse with expertly mounted standoffs.

70

Village Voice by Nick Schager

Its plotting is often a tad too plodding, but with the charismatic Mortensen exuding understated internal crisis (in a French- and Arabic-speaking role), Oelhoffen's film proves a compelling portrait of individuals striving to cope with, and at least somewhat overcome, cultural dislocation.

80

Variety by Peter Debruge

Despite his movie-star reputation and looks, Mortensen remains a remarkably humble screen presence, a trait that’s perfect for a part that demands considerable empathy from whoever’s playing it.

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