Though the story of a man who fought an empire might be an interesting one, this film about civilization is anything but transformative.

Following Sir James Brooke, it chronicles his journey in the 1840s as he begins to rule a kingdom in Borneo, much to the chagrin of his employer, the British Empire.

He fights against the odds to end slavery and the at-odds nature of fighting between the native settlers and Britain.

The problem with director Michael Haussman’s film is that it’s all style, without nary a story worth following. Though he’s down some good work, including Kanye West, Justin Timberlake and madonna music videos, his feature length work leaves something to be desired.

By the time we reach the thrilling conclusion – with its star in full Apocalypse Now mode – we no longer really care.

The performances leave something to be desired. With The Tudors and Vikings, Jonathan Rhys Meyers has proved he’s a versatile and under-utilized actor. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do much to set himself apart here.

Lost alum Dominic Monaghan is less a character than the outline, cliche sketch of one. He borders on caricature, and this is by far one of his less enthusiastic turns.

It’s not horrible, but so little about Edge Of The World is memorable. It just simply exists, and the worst thing you can do in an art form is fail to set yourself apart.

The cast, writer and director sleepwalked through this one, and it really shows.

2/5 Stars