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Member since:23.12.2003
Reviews:81
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Stories about II World War Nazis are out of fashion. On the territory of UK or USA there are hardly any audience who enjoy watching it. Apart from the Jewish communities as most number victims of holocaust. However, Michael Caine is brilliant choice for such role. Michael Caine is a brilliant actor, just as well, but his choice of roles is notoriously wayward when it comes to commercial issues, of course. Like he’s, on porpoise choosing only the once he wants. However, if we take look at his career, we might say he deserved this privilege of choosing. After astonishing, Oscar-nominated “The Quiet American”, there's a new role of a bad guy in “The Statement”. Here’s little pleasure for people who enjoy plotting conspiracy films. Well yes, after 20 minutes you'll want everyone dead.
Michael Caine play a fugitive in 90s in France, who’s trying to escape Jewish undercover group, who want to kill him for working with the Nazis in II World War. Plodding and predictable, it follows Caine's on the run as he seeks help from the Catholic Church. All those years Catholic clergy is giving him financial support, to live comfortably undercover. Well, better say Catholic sects orders, but eventually, the Pope is cutting the help off him. The most terrifying detail in the film, is that Catholic monks and priests, at the convents and sect secret orders that he visits on the run, are openly blessing him, nodding their heads for approval. How true this is? I know it was like that during the II World War, because Catholic Church was protecting Nazis on many way. But here, the clergy are portrayed , as so often on screen, as either power-hungry or spineless hypocritical societies. Surely this can't be the whole truth? Not in France I mean! There are territories in Eastern Europe [territory of ex Yugoslavia] where this Catholic generous “forgiveness “ protecting policy behavior to Nazi oriented “parties” or “army groups” was happening in 90s. But it wasn’t for sure happening in France. And if this is the message of the film, why not mentioning the country where all this was very much possible to be happening?
Obviously, our sympathy isn't given much for this desperate, hypocritical old man, who'll do anything to save his own ass, as long as he can later repent for his sins. And yes, he’s wearing St. Christopher, the protector of law runners and travelers. How nice? Does God really forgives such? I don’t think so, but it’s nice to believe in that, is it? But neither do we know what forces pursuing him, or care about the long arm of the law catching him on the end. Or shall we blame not very convenient dramatization instead? Like I said, pursuing Nazis isn’t that popular any more. Or it never was in the first place?
Maybe Caine wouldn’t be able to hold attention all the time, if there wasn’t a brilliant crew with him. Jeremy Northam's Colonel, Alan Bates and Tilda Swinton. As now “decent”, on-the-edge killer, Caine, doesn't holds the attention even halfway to the conclusion, because the flat scenes of deduction or the dialogue are insufficient to carry the main message. Yet, only holocaust people from II World War and later on in 90s civil war victims on ex Yu territory can understand the silent approval of the Catholic Church “forgiveness” policy authority on a Nazi war criminals. Which is further degraded by a decision to dedicate the movie to the victims of Nazi brutality. As it lacks of self-importance pursuing with message “aren't-we-decent award-seeking people”, it’s adding an insult to incalculable injury of judging justice.
Film is certainly avariable via Internet, just brows on Internet search. And its not for children or teenagers, in fact, prepare for a long thinking afterwards, because this is not a casual every day film.
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Thriller - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Timothy West, Neil Morrissey, Tara Fitzgerald, Annette Crosbie, Pauline Quirke, Rob Brydon, Denise Van Outen, John Thomson, Kevin Whately, David Suchet
Production Year: 2002 - Thriller - Director: Bharat Nalluri, Rob Bailey, Andy Wilson - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Matthew MacFadyen, Keeley Hawes, David Oyelowo, Peter Firth, Jenny Agutter, Lisa Faulkner
Michael Caine stars as Pierre Brossard, a desperate man on the run from his past.A known ... more
WWII war criminal, Brossard has never been brought to trial and has lived a peaceful and anonymous life sheltered by the Catholic Church. Now nearly fifty years af...
![The Statement [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78499832.jpg "The Statement [DVD] [2004]")
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