Salmon Fishing In The Yemen review

A fishing film that, as you might expect, spends too much time waiting for something to happen. We weren't hooked.

The hype…
Ewan McGregor gets a rare chance to act in his native Scots accent in this romantic drama about a Sheik's crazy project to introduce Salmon to Yemen.

The story…
The sedate life of fisheries expert Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) is sent into turmoil when government politicking results in his secondment to a city investment firm. The project he's assigned to is the brain child of a benevolent Sheikh (Amr Waked), and to call it ambitious would be an understatement.

The Sheikh is an avid fisherman himself, and he plans to create a new river in his native Yemen: and introduce Salmon fishing to the local community.

It's a massive task, but fortunately shrewd investment manager Harriet (Emily Blunt) is on hand to help; although her skills are about to be compromised by an emotional blow that leaves her devastated.

Now Dr. Jones not only has an impossible professional task to undertake, but an emotional one that will sorely test his loner tendencies, and perhaps even burst his  bubble.

The breakdown…
'Dear John' director Lasse Hallström goes down a predictably 'charming' and sentimental route with this story of pluck and ingenuity against the odds. It's not without it's appeal, but the comic and dramatic potential of the source material are never fully tapped.

The crazy (and debatably ingenious) idea of the Sheikh could have become a study in obsession, a test of the true talents of lifelong fishing fanatic, and an intriguing side-plot to the emotional ups and downs of Harriet's story. Instead, Waked is left to play his character as a quasi-mystical figure - part religious shaman and part benevolent dictator - a throwback to the Eastern fiction of yesteryear.

Ewan McGregor fares a little better as the quiet fisherman. We'd forgotten how effective an actor he could be when all his attention isn't devoted to maintaining an American accent. The softly-spoken Scot balances the curt insensitivity of a professional loner with a thoughtful, even caring, heart to great effect. Sadly, the journey of his character is so simple and predictable that it's hard to get much from it.

The object of his affection is built up rather well. Emily Blunt is a decent choice for the astute, sharp but somehow friendly and accessible investment manager. But again her personal tragedy feels too shallow, particularly at the film's climax, and as a result the story feels rather insincere. Which is a huge shame given the great work of the cast in building up their characters.

A large part of the blame for the lack of impact has to fall on Hallström, whose determination to keep an intimate feel and warm tone to the film only serves to smooth the rough edges and complexities from the source material. Even the scenes of real peril never really feel very dramatic or dangerous. It's just all a bit too sweet and neat to really get its emotional meat hooks in.

The verdict…
A shallow, insincere and far too sickly-sweet mode of storytelling undoes some quality character-building by the cast in this slow and resolutely average romantic drama.

Rating: 2/5

'Salmon Fishing In The Yemen' is due to be released in the UK on 20 April 2012. Certificate: 12A.