My Boy Jack

Director: Brian Kirk
Year: 2007
Cast: David Haig, Daniel Radcliffe, Kim Cattrall, Carey Mulligan
Rating: **1/2 (out of ****)

This movie is an adapted from a play by the same name and it's quite evident while watching the movie. Events take place in the play-like manner. Before watching this movie (and subsequent research), Rudyard Kipling to me was 'The Jungle Book' and the fact that he was born and brought up in India. I didn't know his life that well. Let me tell you, this motion picture isn't a biopic. This is a tale of a father, a son and the life in deep turmoil when a tragic incident happens affecting the entire family. If you are thinking there'll be something about R. Kipling's work (literary and political) or about his philosophy, I'm afraid you will be disappointed. There are brief war sequences when Jack goes for the battle of Loos. They are not bad but there isn't anything spectacular about them either. Unusual camera angles, kind of weird jerky camera is used to achieve certain impact of war scenes. I don't think that served the purpose that well.

My biggest disappointment was that the character of Jack Kipling never opens up. This was very important since this basically is the story of Jack Kipling. What does Jack want or think or feel? We never understand. That poor kid was painfully sidelined. It was necessarily his story. I won't blame Radcliffe for that as he is handicapped by a weak script and incomplete character.

It seems I have said enough bad things about this motion picture so now some good things. To the director's credit acting by principal actors is restrained and by and large effective, particularly by David Haig. There's a scene where Rudyard Kipling mourns his son's death (when he finally confirms the news) is captured poignantly. Though, actually, Jack Kipling's grave was only found in 1992, the Kiplings had accepted Jack's death almost immediately after the war. And the poet's life was never the same.

Note: Kindly try to find the song/poem 'My Boy Jack' and feel a father's pain.