Starring Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac, and directed by Irishman Terry George (who previously wrote the screenplays for Some Mother's Son, In the Name of the Father and Hotel Rwanda), The Promise was given 55,144 (at the time of writing) one star ratings on the Internet Movie Database after only three public screenings. Somehow the numbers don’t add up…
The film is set is set during the final days of the Ottoman Empire, leading up to the Armenian Genocide that killed 1.5 million. Armenian communities have long been campaigning for recognition of the genocide and it is quite clear that the voting here has been politically motivated, with many of IMDb's users voting without having actually seen the film.
The one-star ratings were countered by a number of ten-star ratings by other users who recognised the trend. The Promise now has 30,787 ten-star votes (at the time of writing), as well as several high rated reviews (of 8 stars or more) making the film now currently hold a 4.1/10 star rating (at time of writing).
While it is IMDb’s policy not to interfere with user ratings, many have called for the database to step in following the many negative ratings.
The trailer for the film (which has disabled comments and voting) can be viewed below. Let us know what you think.