A Biopic, this is not.

Lovers: Taken from IMDB:
 
"Despite the title and unlike some other stories about love and war, this film isn't too sticky and pink, because love is as a rose: With thorns, that is. The four leading actors set their characters realistic and with a good sense and balance between the tragic and the down-to-earth.
The music and lyrics of the cabaret/chanson-esquire songs (sung b Keira Knightley herself) drag the viewer deeper and deeper in the film, from one place to another, between the brutal war and amongst the peaceful love. Some people may find it too much a biopic, but it ís mostly a romantic story, even though it consequently follows the life of Dylan Thomas and the triangular relationship which is steeped by joy and jealousy.
London gets visualized from another angle for once, the bohemian life of Dylan during the bombings of the Germans is set in a floating atmosphere of small bedrooms, pubs and bars. The independent women, the soldier and the charismatic poet are constantly swept in both feelings of love and anger.
Maybe the end is too twisted and hangs somewhat loosely to the rest of the film, but all in all this is a great romantic story"
 
I agree with this review….

Haters: Taken from IMDB:
 
"This is probably the worst film I have ever had the misfortune to see. There is no discernible plot, the script might have been written by a twelve-year-old, and the acting is deplorable. Above all, it seems to have nothing to do with either Dylan or Caitlin Thomas. This film buys into all the clichés about the Thomas' life together, and gives those viewers unfamiliar with the facts a picture that bears as good as no resemblance to the truth. The pretentiousness of this film is nauseating; I can only assume that none of the actors or actresses had ever read anything of Dylan or Caitlin Thomas. had they bothered to do so, they might have spotted the misquoted lines of Thomas' poetry that are scattered throughout the 'dialogue' at the most inopportune moments. this picture is deplorable. Miss it."

Now I don’t know much about the life of Dylan Thomas so I can’t really comment on that but just as a film not biopic it wasn’t all that bad.

What I thought:

You know when you see an actor and they become one of you favourites, from that moment on they can do no wrong. In this example it’s Cillian Murphy, who cut his teeth in the big time with Danny Boyles brilliant 28 Days Later which owed a lot to his performance. Since then whatever I’ve seen him in he has been great, including this. Despite the title and the cover convincing you your about to watch some slushy war time romance flick, it should surprise you. It will surprise you even more if you’re familiar with the poet Dylan Thomas, because although this film includes him as a character it is not a biopic.

This is a story of love and lust which simply has a wartime backdrop and is based on a time in Dylan Thomas’s life. It uses the poetry of the man to give it a very dreamy setting (though according to the hater review it is all “misquoted”). It’s Cillian Murphy’s war hero that carries the film for me, whose performance is believable and committed. He even helps to ignore the fact the Kiera Knightly is in it, as well its quite dark tone due to the subject matter and the setting. All of this makes for a quite a good wartime drama, forget watching it as a romance or biopic, you wont like it.