"One Life" Review: Anthony Hopkins leads inspiring true tale

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During a 1988 broadcast of the British series That’s Life, an audience member was surprised when he realized that the surrounding members in the audience were  people he helped save from the Nazis decades earlier. That man was Nicholas Winton. In the days before World War 2, Winton helped Czechoslovakian children escape from the clutches of the Nazis by sending them to England, where they were taken in by foster families.

The new drama One Life explores Winton’s inspiring work during his youth while also showing the older Winton, who was celebrated for his heroism later in life  In the feature, Anthony Hopkins plays the older Winton while Johnny Flynn portrays the younger version.

The drama begins with the older Winton, who lives with his wife, Grete (Lena Olin). Grete encourages him to clean out their home, which ultimately leads to Winton thinking back to his younger days. During those earlier days, a brief trip to Prague led Winton to organize the escape of hundreds of children who were at risk of being captured by the Nazis and shipped off to concentration camps.

The scenes set during those earlier days provide many of the highlights of this James Hawes-helmed film. It’s here where the plight of these refugees is the focus of the story as Winton slowly earns the trust of leaders and families who don’t know where to turn. In a limited but great supporting role, Helena Bonham Carter co-stars as Babi, Nicholas’ supportive mother, whose sheer personality is enough to overcome the stiff upper lip of bureaucrats who nearly stand in the way of the rescue operation.   

Hopkins does a solid job in the lead role but the screenplay by Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake (adapted from the book by Barbara Winton) doesn’t seem to know what to do with the old Winton. The character spends much of the early part of the film cleaning out his home and the scenes showcasing his own family don’t do much to add to the story.  The crux of the story should be on the work he did to serve complete strangers and the story feels disconnected when it moves away from that.

The story’s final act shows Winton’s connection with That’s Life and how that relationship started after Winton publicly shared a notebook revealing his role in transporting youngsters into England. The scenes depicting the audience in That’s Life are as powerful and potent as they should be, putting Winton’s extraordinary efforts into perspective.    

It’s hard not to appreciate Winton as a historical figure after seeing One Life and knowing all he did as a young banker who heroically helped save hundred of lives. The film thrives when it’s focusing on his work and the team that helped bring children from the streets of despair to foster homes in England. If the film had managed to keep that momentum going as it focused on Winton’s later life, it would’ve been a complete success story.

Despite its flaws, it’s still an admirable film with a strong performance from Hopkins and an unbelievable true story at its heart.