The Statement (2003)
Average Rating: 4.7/10
Reviews Counted: 106
Fresh: 25 | Rotten: 81
The movie bores despite a splendid performance by Michael Caine.
Average Rating: 4.6/10
Critic Reviews: 34
Fresh: 6 | Rotten: 28
The movie bores despite a splendid performance by Michael Caine.
liked it
Average Rating: 3/5
User Ratings: 2,115
My Rating
Movie Info
A man who has been able to avoid the consequences of his actions for nearly 50 years suddenly finds he must answer pursuers on both sides of the law in this drama, based on the novel by Brian Moore and inspired by a true story. After France fell to German occupation during World War II, the Nazi-controlled Vichy government established a law-enforcement group known as the Milice, who were under the direct control of Nazi authorities. In 1944, Pierre Brossard (George Williams) is one of a handful
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Cast
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Michael Caine
Pierre Brossard -
Tilda Swinton
Anne Marie Livi -
Jeremy Northam
Col. Roux -
Alan Bates
Bertier -
Charlotte Rampling
Nicole -
John Neville
Old Man -
Ciarán Hinds
Pochon -
Frank Finlay
Commissaire Vionnet -
William Hutt
Le Moyne -
Matt Craven
David -
Noam Jenkins
Michael -
Peter Wight
Cholet -
Malcolm Sinclair
Cardinal of Lyon -
Colin Salmon
Patrice -
David de Keyser
Dom Andre -
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All Critics (114) | Top Critics (37) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (83) | DVD (10)
Caine bounces back and forth almost randomly between pitiable and detestable, following the dictates of a formulaic plot.
Top CriticThis is a creaky, obsolete sort of film, not an instant classic, but an instant antique.
Seems more an excuse to attack a target than an exercise in solid storytelling.
Worth catching for Caine's bravura turn as a despicable old man begging for sympathy, and also for its fascinating insights into the darker side of both France and the Catholic Church.
Partly because of Caine and partly because of meticulous work by veteran director Norman Jewison, The Statement is a fiction done so effectively, it rings true -- even slick lines that may otherwise be rancid.
An inert sociopolitical thriller mired in moralizing.
The film operates well as a thriller and probably goes further than intended in extracting sympathy for its reprehensible protagonist.
... the thrilleresque aspects ... are most pleasing.
"The Statement is that rare, unassuming movie that has much to say and is so daring in its message that it is a wonder it has seen the light of day"
It's hard to believe that the script was written by Ron Harwood, who penned the Oscar-winning screenplay for The Pianist.
Em função de sua própria premissa, apresenta questões éticas interessantes.
Confused at its core and too befuddled to make that a virtue.
For the most part, though, there really isn't enough suspense or drama to make The Statement more than an occasionally chilling civics lesson.
Audience Reviews for The Statement
Super Reviewer
Director: Norman Jewison
Summary: The buried sins of the past almost always find a way to surface in the present, as Frenchman Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine) discovers in this drama directed by Norman Jewison. Pierre's quiet life in southern France is disrupted as he's haunted by his betrayals. During World War II, his Nazi sympathizing led to the deaths of 14 Jews. With a Nazi hunter (Tilda Swinton), the police and hired killers on his trail, it's his turn to be the hunted.
My Thoughts: "The movie grabbed me right from the start with it's brilliant opening, but unfortunately it doesn't keep with that brilliance the entire film. In about thirty minutes in, it gets quite boring. Not one of Caine's best performances, but a movie he did carry on his own. It's basically him going from church to church in hiding. Not very interesting, but the story is. I wish they would have elaborated on it more then just showing Caine's character on the run. Also, what happened to this film being of french characters, they all sounded pretty british to me. Just not well made."
Super Reviewer
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- Pierre Brossard: Saint Christopher, they saw me. They knew. Can they point me out? Can anyone say,'That's Brossard. He sent us to our graves.'
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- Anne Marie Livi: Unless the whole truth is brought ou into the open, the dead will never rest easy.
- Col. Roux: And neither will you.
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