My Boy Jack

For those who enjoy a more straightforward dramatic approach to their war movies, this drama from director Brian Kirk fits the bill nicely. It’s the story of writer Rudyard Kipling (David Haig, who wrote the screenplay based on his original play) and his struggle to get his nearsighted son Jack (Daniel Radcliffe) a place in the army at the outset of WWI. The patriotic fever that forces him to risk his son’s life causes immeasurable harm to Kipling’s private life, as he must battle his wife and daughter (played by Kim Cattrall and Carey Mulligan) and defend the choice to send his child off to war, a choice even he eventually realizes will break his heart. The story is strong and the film is well-shot, but it is the terrific acting that makes My Boy Jack so compelling. Cattrall, best known for her comic sexual romps playing Samantha Jones in Sex and the City, is fascinating playing Kipling’s American wife, as is the ethereal Mulligan as his daughter. Radcliffe is outstanding as Jack, showing us the journey a young man takes from the Huzzah! rowdiness of camaraderie before a shot is fired to the shocking reality of war fought in the trenches in a completely compelling and original way. Topping the wonderful cast is, of course, Haig as Kipling, in a powerhouse performance that captures the heart and soul of a people as they launch themselves into war.