The Promise

Set in the Ottoman Empire as the First World War approaches, The Promise follows Mikael, a medical student of Armenian descent who travels through Constantinople on his way home to the south of Turkey, where Muslims and Christians have long lived side by side. In the city he meets Ana, an artist, and Chris, an American journalist based in Paris who is in love with her. Mikael is drawn to Ana as well, but the rivalry between the two men gives way when the imperial authorities begin persecuting ethnic minorities. Bound by their shared Armenian roots, the three must rely on one another to survive and to bear witness to what is happening around them.

Terry George directed the film and wrote the screenplay with Robin Swicord. It is his third feature as director, after Hotel Rwanda and Reservation Road. Oscar Isaac plays Mikael, Charlotte Le Bon plays Ana, and Christian Bale plays Chris, with supporting turns from Daniel Giménez Cacho, Tom Hollander and Shohreh Aghdashloo. The production involved 38 credited cast members and 127 credited crew, and was made on a budget of about 90 million dollars. Its worldwide box office, roughly 12 million dollars, was far below that outlay.

The film holds a 6.1 rating on IMDb from around 180,000 votes and a 6.8 on TMDB from a much smaller group of 519 votes. A critics' rating of 5.6 from 157 reviews places it below both audience scores.