MOVIE - THE STATEMENT - Review Rating $$$$$ $ (OUT OF 10)
STARRING - Michael Caine (Pierre Brossard), Tilda Swinton (Annemarie Livi),
Charlotte Rampling (Nicole), Alan Bates (Armand Bertier), Jeremy Northam (Colonel Roux) & Matt Craven (David Manenbaum).
DIRECTOR - Norman Jewison (The Hurricane, Moonstruck, A Soldier's Story, Fiddler on the Roof & In the Heat of the Night)
Based upon the novel, "The Statement", by Brian Moore which was inspired by the true story of French war criminal Paul Touvier.
The Statement is a disappointment on many levels. Part of the problem is that the movie is an adaptation of a novel which itself was an adaptation of a true story. The end result of this creative process is to reduce the Church's complicity in protecting Nazi War Criminals to a mere plot device in a mediocre detective mystery.
The weakness of the script, which virtually totally fails to convey the magnitude of this travesty of justice, is compounded by the casting. The incongruity of an entirely British cast portraying devious and/or righteous Frenchmen saps the film of its remaining credibility.
The only positive purpose The Statement serves is to remind and educate viewers about postwar injustices. Unfortunately, they may miss the point because The Statement conveys its historical lesson so poorly.
Running time - 120 minutes
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Comments by Halo Scan:
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