Walk on Water (2005)

72% of critics liked it
(74 reviews)
85% of users liked it
(5,529 ratings)

An Israeli agent with a license to kill is thrown off his game by two people who challenge his deeply held assumptions in this drama. Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) is an agent with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence and security force. A man capable of making snap moral judgments but unwilling to reveal his… More An Israeli agent with a license to kill is thrown off his game by two people who challenge his deeply held assumptions in this drama. Eyal (Lior Ashkenazi) is an agent with Mossad, the Israeli intelligence and security force. A man capable of making snap moral judgments but unwilling to reveal his emotions, Eyal has been burying himself in his often bloody work since the death of his wife. Eyal's latest assignment is to try to learn the whereabouts of a Nazi war criminal; as it happens, his granddaughter Pia (Carolina Peters) is in Israel spending time on a kibbutz, and when he learns that her brother Axel (Knut Berger) is coming to visit her, Eyal goes undercover as a tour guide in order to get to know them without arousing suspicion. Eyal finds himself taken with Pia, who displays a warmth and openness he's never expected to find in a German. At the same time, Eyal discovers Axel is gay and doesn't care who knows about it, and as Eyal gets to know him he finds himself torn between his genuine fondness for Axel and his long-standing homophobia. Walk on Water was directed by Eytan Fox, who earned international acclaim for his story of two gay men in the Israeli army, Yossi & Jagger. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 44 min.
Directed By: Eytan Fox
Written By: Gal Uchovsky
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Mar 4, 2005 Limited
On DVD: Aug 30, 2005
Studio: Roadside Attractions

Critic Reviews

Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel
Terrific Israeli drama.
Kerry Lengel, Arizona Republic
Affecting performances by the cast place those abstract issues firmly in the human world.
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune
This movie already has enough topics on the table. As a result, none gets the attention it deserves.
Tom Long, Detroit News
If there are no simple solutions offered to calm Israel's troubles, there is still hope in this fine portrait of a country torn too many ways.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Fox's film seems to say that the kind of saintly purity that would enable one to walk on water -- or to kill with impunity and without repercussions -- doesn't exist.
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer
A compelling thriller that manages to incorporate a seemingly impossible bundle of disparate elements -- Jewish-Arab animosity, homophobia, the haunting aftershocks of the Holocaust, and the repercussions of suicide.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
The negotiation of each character's burdensome collective history as they try to figure out how to proceed into a more rational future, makes for engaging and articulate multinational storytelling.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
The negotiation of each character's burdensome collective history as they try to figure out how to proceed into a more rational future, makes for engaging and articulate multinational storytelling.
James Plath, Movie Metropolis
Interesting because it blurs the lines between homosexuality/heterosexuality, toughness/sensitivity, German/Jewish mindsets, and, ultimately, right/wrong.
Rich Cline, Shadows on the Wall
Israeli filmmaker Fox and his cast create vivid, recognisable characters who dare to grapple with untouchable topics.
Tony Medley, tonymedley.com
An entertaining, sensitive thriller highlighted by Lior Ashkenazi, a babe magnet if there ever was one, that only falls apart with its simplistic, feel-good climax.
Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
Fast moving and intelligent enough to hold the interest of anyone with a marginal understanding of politics and history.
Jeffrey Bruner, Des Moines Register
An ambitious film, wrapped inside the package of a thriller, that delivers on most - if not all - of its lofty aspirations.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

Beautiful scenery. Great story. Well done foreign film.
jay n

Interesting premise, well executed, excellent performances.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]"Walk on Water" starts with a macho Israeli government assassin, Eyal(Lior Ashkenazi), returning after the completion of a successful mission in Istanbul to find his wife, Iris, has committed suicide. A month later, his boss, Menachem(Gideon Shemer),… More
[font=Century Gothic]"Walk on Water" starts with a macho Israeli government assassin, Eyal(Lior Ashkenazi), returning after the completion of a successful mission in Istanbul to find his wife, Iris, has committed suicide. A month later, his boss, Menachem(Gideon Shemer), feels that he is not ready for active duty and has a different kind of assignment for him. A former Nazi, Alfred Himmelman, responsible for the death of many people during the Holocaust, was in hiding and there is a chance he may still be alive. If so, Menachem wants a crack at him before he does die of natural causes. Himmelman's granddaughter, Pia(Caroline Peters), conveniently lives on a kibbutz in country while her brother, Axel(Knut Berger), is about to visit her. So, Menachem assigns Eyal to play tour guide, so he can get close to the siblings and see what information he can gather.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Walk on Water" is well-meaning to a fault in calling for peace but it is very, very obvious and predictable.(For example, the classic antiwar song "For What It's Worth" is played three times on the soundtrack.) The film gives a very simplistic treatment to complex themes of history and politics. The characters are thinly drawn, especially Eyal. And the coda is especially hard to believe. [/font]