BY DAVID KRONKE >TV CRITIC

Rudyard Kipling, the first English-language winner of the Nobel Prize in literature, was a champion of British imperialism, which makes him rather out of fashion today. Still, his expansive, globe-trotting life contained elements of epic drama.

Nonetheless, "My Boy Jack," about his efforts to secure for his son a prestigious military position as World War I loomed, plays largely as an affecting chamber drama.

Written by and starring David Haig (who adapts his own stage drama), it presents Kipling (Haig) as a staunch hawk who sternly warned England that it lacked the might and the weaponry required to defend itself against its impending German foes. He was insistent upon his son, John (Daniel Radcliffe of the "Harry Potter" movies), enlisting, even though he had twice been rejected due to his poor eyesight. John's itching to ship off, as well, if not for the same reasons his father espouses.

Kipling's American wife, Carrie (Kim Cattrall), tries to support her husband, but it's evident she's concerned about her son's well-being.

Kipling's daughter, Elise (Carey Mulligan), deeply devoted to her brother, is even less impressed with her father's saber-rattling.

And, on his 18th birthday, in a battle in France in which British soldiers are outmanned and outgunned, John goes missing.

It can be difficult to inhabit the interior worlds of characters in films, but "My Boy Jack" does an exceptional job of showing how John's absence utterly preoccupies his family - even the usually charismatic Rudyard becomes sluggish and haunted. Most poignant is Elise's suffering; in a few deft strokes, the film underscores their mutual affection.

For such a modest production, "My Boy Jack" boasts some fierce star power. Radcliffe is exceedingly fine as Jack; no one will be reminded of his turns as Harry. Cattrall willfully tamps down the excesses of her iconic role as Samantha in the HBO series (and upcoming movie) "Sex and the City"; if anything, she's a little too lifeless. Haig and Mulligan give nuanced performances that strive to avoid sentimentality.

Where "My Boy Jack" succeeds best is in depicting the uncertainty that hangs over the lives of every family who has a loved one on a battlefield. If it requires a famous figure and a war long ago to bring home this truth to viewers in a time in which many Americans have tried to tune out their current situation, then so be it.

David Kronke, (818) 713-3638 david.kronke@dailynews.com
www.insidesocal.com/tv/

review>

MY BOY JACK

>What: Drama about author Rudyard Kipling's efforts to get his son (Daniel Radcliffe) to the front lines of World War I.

>Where: KCET (Channel 28).

>When: 9 p.m. Sunday.

>In a nutshell: Affecting and well-acted.