The Statement (2003)
The Statement (2003)
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Movie Info
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Cast
as Pierre Broussard
as Annemarie Livi
as Colonel Roux
as Armand Bertier
as Father Leo
as David Manenbaum
as Commissaire Vionne
as Pochon
as Le Moyne
as Michael Levy
as Dom Andre
as Old Man
as Dom Vladimir
as Nicole Broussard
as Father Patrice
as Cardinal of Lyon
as Inspector Cholet
Critic Reviews for The Statement
All Critics (106) | Top Critics (34) | Fresh (25) | Rotten (81) | DVD (5)
Caine bounces back and forth almost randomly between pitiable and detestable, following the dictates of a formulaic plot.
This 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.
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.
Cut-and-dried morality play, with the saints played by Brit actors who can't even be bothered to speak with French accents.
Audience Reviews for The Statement
I really liked the narrative behind this film, however I was slightly confused as to who I should be rooting for. Opening with (and following) Pierre Brossard we can see he is truly sorry for his actions. Is that just to calm his own nerves and make himself feel better? Maybe, but he still pained himself over what he has done which led me to believe we should be on his side and want him to escape. Certainly casting Michael Caine in this role does that. But at the end the filmmakers professed this film to the 7 Jews who were killed all those years ago, so why make their murderer so human and so compassionate? I also found it slightly slow at times when nothing to progress the narrative happened. This is a good film and whilst I won't be watching it for a long while it's something I'll definitely revisit. Thanks in part to Caine's brilliant performance!
Super Reviewer
Cast: Michael Caine, Tilda Swinton, Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, Jeremy Northam, Ciarán Hinds, John Neville, Matt Craven, Edward Petherbridge 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
Not one of michael caines best of films its a bit boring really just following him around with his life and it just was very exciting!
Super Reviewer
The Statement Quotes
| 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." |
| 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.' |
| 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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