Director: Akiva Goldman
Talent: Colin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe, Will Smith
Release Date: 21st February
Colin Farrell is doe-eyed Peter Lake, the orphan hero of A New York Winter’s Tale, a master thief and apprentice to Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe), a servant of the devil (Will Smith), who has taken human form as a means of stopping miracles from occurring, thus denying angels their place in the cosmos. We meet Peter as he flees from Pearly’s demon enforcers on a Native American spirit animal (a dog in the guise of a white horse) and embarks on an adventure that spans a hundred years and grows more and more complicated with each passing minute.
Longtime screenwriter, first-time director Akiva Goldman clearly loves Mark Helprin’s novel. He loves it so much in fact, that he’s forgotten that some people may not have read it. A New York Winter’s Tale might be a love story, it might be an adventure film, or a probing look at the logistics of winged-horseback riding, whatever: its biggest failing is the bizarre and throwaway manner in which it relates this mishmash to the viewer. – Luke Maxwell
