DVD: The Admiral (12)

This lavish historical romance is based on the life of the Russian officer Aleksandr Kolchak, the "Admiral" of the title, a man who has not gone down in the history books with a fantastic reputation.

The film attempts to change this, turning him into a war hero who fights a noble but doomed battle against the forces of Communism. In-between battling the Germans and then the Red Army, he falls in love with the wife of another officer. With a reported budget of $20m, it is the most expensive Russian film ever made, and the investment shows. The period costumes are impressive, as are the special effects. Unfortunately, the love story seems rather bland considering the mass historical shifts occurring at the time, drifting into melodrama.