Capsule reviews for Nov. 18

Ali and Nino

Despite its heartfelt good intentions and potentially intriguing historical backdrop, this period piece from Oscar-winning documentarian Asif Kapadia (Amy) is more familiar than fresh. It takes place during the rise of World War I in the southern Soviet republics, where Ali (Adam Bakri) is a young Muslim from Azerbaijan who falls in love with Nino (Maria Valverde), a Christian woman whose family hails from Georgia. Their subsequent romance is forced to navigate religious differences and various wartime conflicts, including a battle that hits close to home. The film feels like a throwback in terms of its sweeping visual style, but isn’t dramatically compelling to match. (Not rated, 101 minutes).

Blood on the Mountain

While the intricacies of the coal industry might not be well known outside West Virginia, this insightful documentary shines a worthwhile spotlight on a legacy of struggles involving blue-collar miners and their unions, and energy companies who place profit over worker safety and environmental concerns. As an examination of corporate greed, it’s not exactly revelatory, but the straightforward chronicle of specific tragedies throughout the past century yields sympathy for the generations of mountaineers whose livelihoods are nonchalantly threatened. The film offers a powerful argument that the locals aren’t enjoying the benefits of the rich natural resources around them, and that’s a message that transcends geographic boundaries. (Not rated, 89 minutes).

Life on the Line

We should appreciate the courage and dedication of electric-line repairmen who risk their lives in dangerous conditions for the sake of the grid. That’s the heartfelt message behind this earnest but hopelessly inept drama, apparently based on a true story, which centers on a Texas lineman (John Travolta) still dealing with the aftermath of his brother’s electrocution when he’s summoned with his team to deal with a power crisis during a deadly storm. The bookend sequences inadequately depict details of the work, but even worse, the resulting bravery is undermined by the aggressively clichéd screenplay and its focus on behind-the-scenes bickering and personal problems. (Rated R, 97 minutes).

A Street Cat Named Bob

Between the titular feline and the accompanying tale of human redemption, there’s an overload of sweetness within this uneven drama from director Roger Spottiswoode (Tomorrow Never Dies). It follows a London street performer (Luke Treadaway) and recovering addict whose repeated encounters with a stray ginger cat coincides with a string of good fortune, including a friendship with a veterinarian (Ruta Gedmintas) and an attempted reconciliation with his estranged father (Anthony Head). Amid the guitar ballads, the film offers a moderately gritty true-life depiction of junkie culture and the British homeless scene, although those tend to be overshadowed by Bob’s cutesy antics to lighten the mood. (Not rated, 103 minutes).

The Take

The urban Parisian locales form an intriguing backdrop for an otherwise formulaic action thriller that stars Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation) as a CIA agent stationed in France, where he joins forces with an American pickpocket (Richard Madden) to uncover and stop a terrorist plot targeting a Bastille Day celebration and involving corrupt cops, greedy government officials and widespread civil unrest. The timing is unfortunate given the true-life Bastille Day attack in Nice, France, earlier this year. Yet as for the film, director James Watkins (The Woman in Black) choreographs some taut action sequences, even if there’s not much substance between the chases and shootouts. (Rated R, 92 minutes).