Customer Reviews

The Statement

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Although his films aren't always artistic successes, Michael Caine is one of my favorite actors, and at his best when his character is cheekily likable, e.g. in THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING (1975), SLEUTH (1972), SECONDHAND LIONS (2003). Rarely, he plays someone hateful, the most recent coming to mind being SHINER (2000). Here, in THE STATEMENT, his on-screen persona is oddly ambiguous, and it's left to supporting characters to provide the plot's protagonists.

It's June 1942, and a young Vichy French police officer, Pierre Brossard, supervises the round-up and execution of seven Jews by a contingent of German soldiers. After the war, he's charged with murder and collaboration with the enemy, but he escapes from prison, apparently aided by former superiors in the police establishment. Now, it's 1992, and Brossard (Michael Caine) lives in constant fear of exposure. A fervent Catholic, he skulks from French monastery to monastery, wherein he finds refuge with the help of sympathetic abbots and Church officials. A retired, former police official provides regular payments of money for frugal, day-to-day living. Now, Brossard is apparently being pursued by Jewish activists bent on his assassination. And if he hasn't worries enough, the French Justice Ministry has assigned a judge, Annemarie Livi (Tilda Swinton), and a police investigator, Colonel Roux (Jeremy Northam), to track Pierre down and take him into custody charged with war crimes. Are the two events related?

Pierre's wartime atrocity and his cold-hearted willingness to protect himself at any cost in the present are unlikely to endear him to the audience. On the other hand, the nature of the conspiracy against him by sinister forces, his failing health, and his sincere, if somewhat pathetic, religiousness render him an individual of some ambiguity. In the end, while Livi and Roux are the characters the viewer will naturally root for, Brossard will attract some small amount of sympathy because, perhaps, it's the popular Michael Caine in the role.

For me, the biggest problem with this otherwise reasonably intelligent film is the casting. Caine's Cockney British accent is never entirely submerged, and the other main roles have gone to Brits, most obviously Northam and Swinton. This is, after all, supposed to be France, but it might as well have been rural Hampshire! And it's never made clear why both the Church and powerful members of the government found it necessary or desirable to protect such a low-level Vichy functionary for so long anyway. Some conspiracies play better as fiction, and the Church is an ever-popular villain, especially if the Jesuits or a rogue cardinal or two are involved.

THE STATEMENT justly rates three stars, but I'm bumping it up a notch solely for Caine's performance (despite the accent). Northam and Swinton are also both effective.

One of the DVD's special features is an interview with Michael, in which he reveals that he was attracted to the Brossard role simply because he's rarely asked to play an unpleasant character not softened by his trademark cheeky humor. (I guess he forgot about SHINER!)

I got a chance to watch the much maligned Norman Jewison film The Statement on DVD this weekend.

It's a damn fine film!!!

Without giving too much of the story away, the film is about an old Frenchman (played by Michael Caine) who is on the run throughout the south of France for war crimes he committed back in WWII. He has to excape both investigators and assassins (possibly from a radical Jewish organization) by taking refuge in primarily catholic churches.

It was actually filmed in France in real churches and government buildings. Excellent Hitchcockian cinematography and music. Well paced editing and outstanding acting from Tilda Swinton, Jeremy Northam, Ciaran Hinds, Frank Finlay, Alan Bates...and especially Caine. The screenplay was expertly adapted by Ron Harwood. And, for a film with a pretty low budget, the DVD transfer (anamorphic) is excellent and the 5.1 surround sound is decent.

What's up with the critics? OK, I'm a big Michael Caine fan, but that doesn't mean I like ALL the films he's in (Secondhand Lions was kinda corny, his role in Goldmember was far too small, etc.). This role is a true showcase for him. And anyone who respects Caine as an actor should watch this movie.

In truth, the storyline may be hard to follow...I'm sure that's the primary problem for the critics. I had the advantage of reading the original novel first, so there was virtually no confusion for me...and the film is remarkably faithful to the novel!

The novel was a bit complicated at times and I found myself having to re-read the occasional passage to keep up with the story...so maybe the film is similar in that respect.

Also, a lot of critics had a problem with the fact that the English actors aren't speaking with French accents...but this has been the case with many films before (Quills, The Last Emperor, Three Musketeers), I don't know why this film should be any different...besides, I can't think of anything more distracting than listening to a bunch of actors speaking with phony French accents for 2 hours!

I say take a chance on the film. It's definitely a thinking-person's thriller. I'd hate to see one of Michael Caine's best late-career performances go completely unnoticed.

Starring Michael Caine, this 2003 film is based on a real-life story of a Frenchman who conspired with the Nazis and then spent most of his life hiding in Roman Catholic monasteries. It opens with a chilling scene filmed in black and white of seven Jews being dragged from their homes and brutally murdered. Flash forward to 1992. The audience sees a "statement" being typed identifying this wanted man. It's supposed to be placed upon his body after he is murdered. But Michael Caine turns the tables on his stalker and murders the man who is after him.

During the rest of the film, Caine is the hunted, but it is unclear who, exactly is after him. Is it the relatives of the Jews he murdered? Is it the corrupt French police? Is the Church? Or it a person in a high position who is concerned about his political future? Anyway, Caine is on the run. And Tilda Swinton cast as a judge, is trying to find him before he is murdered. The story is confusing. But the emotion is there. And Michael Caine, now 70 years old, does an incredible acting job. It's a difficult role, but he puts life into this unreformed but repentant Frenchman who keeps seeking absolution from priests as he goes about evading killers and doing some killing of his own. He is not a likeable character, but he's very human.

One of the problems I had with the film was that even though it was about a Frenchman and takes place in France, everyone speaks English. But I guess the filmmaker had to make some sort of compromise in order to get Caine. There was one excellent scene between Caine and his ex-wife, played by Charlotte Rampling. Problem is that it wasn't fully developed enough. However, in spite of these noticeable flaws and the fact that the film moved a bit slowly, I was still captivated by his Caine's performance.

Unjustifiably slammed by most of the critics when it was released last year, Norman Jewison's The Statement, while having some problems, is still an eminently watchable political thriller. The movie does has some interesting things to say about the duplicity of the Catholic Church, but the problem is that it lacks any readily developed suspense, and the parade of British actors filling the roles of French characters ultimately distracts from the overall impact of the film.

The film starts out with a grainy, black and white flashback to World War 2 when the French were conspiring with the Nazi's to round up French Jews. Several men are viscously murdered by a firing squad. The film then switches to 1992 and follows the search for a Catholic zealot and former Vichy cop, Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine) who is now is wanted for these crimes against humanity. Brossard is mysteriously connected to a group of collaborationists anxious to keep their pasts in the shadows. Over the past forty years Brossard has come to depend on the kindness of strangers - in his case, a ring of right wing, anti-Semitic priests, abbots, bishops and cardinals in the Catholic Church. The church, which supported his wartime actions, has spent the past five decades providing him with places to hide, money and new identity papers so that he can move freely - to yet another monastery. They have also provided him with absolution.

But Brossard's actions have caught up with him and he is trying to escape from the clutches of the French authorities led by Anne Marie Livi (Tilda Swinton), a tough-minded, no nonsense investigative judge who needs to find Brossard in order to get to the bigwigs who have been supporting him all these years. Aiding Anne Marie is a dashing French military detective Col. Roux (Jeremy Northam - who is incidentally my favourite actor).

Brossard is a tired, conflicted but ruthless man who will not hesitate to kill with an assassin's glee, but he is plagued by catholic guilt and ill health. He can become a helpless mess at confession and absolutely melt in compliance when talking to his former commander (Frank Finley). Caine does a fine job at conveying Brossard's mixture of desperation and evil - there's one particular scene when he hides out at his wife's (Charlotte Rampling) apartment and maliciously threatens her dog. He is haunted by the murders he has committed and demands absolution from those whose secrets he protects. In his eyes, the murders are justified, and he talks to God with so much insistence that he begins to take on an almost saint-like aura.

The plot takes lots of somewhat murky twists as the viewer is left trying to figure out who is actually after Brossard besides the French police. There are lots of fervent, zealous but vague accusations against the Catholic Church as each monastery across France takes it in turns to hide him. All performers are good, especially Swinton who has a steely cold manner, and is unshakeable in the face of threats from her powerful ministerial uncle (played by Alan Bates). Northam, of course, is always a pleasure to watch and brings his usual dashing charm to the role.
More a character study on guilt and redemption than a sharp, crisp political thriller, The Statement is worth watching for the stunning French locales and Caine's strong, conflicted and nuanced performance as Brossard. Mike Leonard December 04.

When dealing with a movie like "The Statement" it's important that somehow we find ourselves feeling empathy for the lead character despite whatever his flaws may be. This makes the movie much more passionate and personal. Now we are caught in a conflict. We see this terrible person, but yet, somehow, we feel sorry for him.

For the most part Michael Caine does this in the film adaption of Brian Moore's novel about a Nazi spy who was been on the run for 40 years and now time has caught up with him as his days seem to be numbered due to an investigation being led by Annemarie Levi (Tilda Swinton).

If I made this film I would have changed a lot about this movie. Granted I have not read the novel by Moore nor was I was familiar with these facts but I think a movie like this would have been better if it focused more on Caine life and offered more flashbacks. If we would see Caine reflecting on the past being haunted by his past. We do see these moments in the film, but not enough of them.

The way "The Statement" was made was into a political thriller. Therefore we have more of a cop routine picture. Swinton and her partner Jeremy Notham do the chase scenes and the undercover work, and we may even sense a romance. These two characters are given just as much screentime as Caine, and that I feel is a mistake.

Even though I say these things that does not mean I didn't appreciate this film, because I did. The acting from the cast is enjoyable to watch and keep your attention. Director Norman Jewison strings things together nicely. We are never bored with the movie. And the movie, even though I may not like the approach that was taken, is well written. The script is by Ronald Harwood who wrote "The Pianist".

As I watched this movie I thought of a film made a while ago entitled "The Music Box". It starred Jessica Lang. It dealt with a similar idea but here "The Statement" approves upon it.

Not a lot of people are going to see this movie. Not because it's a bad movie, it's not a bad movie at all, but people simply haven't heard of it. I remember when it came out it played in only one threatre here and I didn't even know when the release date was for vhs or dvd. This is unfortunate. This is really a well made well acted film that deserve a first chance.

Bottom-line: Well made movie with some fince acting headed by Michael Caine. Has some strong moments and keeps you involved. More people should make an effort to see it.

THE STATEMENT has all the ingredients of a keenly written espionage film with all the added assets of superb acting, breakneck speed direction by Norman Jewison, and magnificent photography of France. Based on a true story, Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine in a finely nuanced tragic performance) worked with the Vichy regime during the Nazi occupation of France and was responsible for the murders of seven Jews in 1944. It is now 1992 and Brossard has been in hiding under the cover and support of the Chevaliers, a band of men connected with the Catholic Church. Politically he has been pardoned, but there are those who wish him dead. A new French Judge (Tilda Swinton in another fine performance) and military Colonel Roux (Jeremy Northam) join forces (somewhat unwillingly) and commit themselves to ferreting out Brossard. Their efforts are parallel to the forces who plot to assassinate Brossard and it is this bipolar cat-and-mouse intrigue that chases Brossard from Abbey to Abbey throughout France. The ending comes as somewhat of a surprise, but the chase makes it all worth the wait. Adding immensely to this film are the cameos by Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates, Ciaran Hinds, Noam Jenkins, and Marr Cravens among a host of others. This is an underrated movie that is full of intrigue and deserves a wider audience, if for nothing else than to alert the world of yet another WW II atrocity.

I note that another reviewer has complained that this film is slow and compared to the normal thrillers which depend on car crashes, explosions and impossible feats of human agilty I expect it is. It is also a very good film which whilst being entertaining also makes you think. Some people have seen it as anti Catholic, but it is true that elements within the Catholic Church were pro Nazi and did help war criminal escape justice not only in France but in many other countries.

Michael Caine is outstanding as an aging French war criminal who forty years after the end of the world is finally facing justice of a sort. Caine plays Pierre Brossard a minor French war criminal who was responsable for the murder of seven French Jews. I say minor only because others murdered many thousands more and it is clear from this film that others did worse and continued to prosper in post war France.

Brossard has been hidden for years with the aid of the Catholic Church but it appears that a Jewish group has tracked him down and is planning his murder. Unknown to Brossard the Jewish group is a ruse and the real people out to kill him are his former allies in the French establishment and police for whom he has become a liabilty.

At the same time a judge (Tilda Swinton) and a Gendarmerie Colonel (Jeremy Northam) are trying to find him before the killers do.

It is Caine's skill as an actor which allows us to be repulsed by Brossard, he is a coward and a bully, whilst at the same time feeling sympathy for him, he is a frightened old man betrayed by his friends.

Frank Finlay and Edward Petherbridge are also very good in smaller supporting roles.

The fiqure of Brossard was inspired by Paul Touvier who in 1994 was sentenced to life imprisonment after being sheltered by the Catholic Church for years.

All in all a superior and thoughtfull thriller

This looked like a perfect film for me but it was dissapointing. Its premise is interesting (revenge for World War 2 crimes, political intrigue) but it has been done so many times before (Marathon Man, Defense of the Realm) that there are not many surprises left. The main character (Caine) has a compelling story but his motive is never explained and so his personal conflict is not resolved. It has a good cast but most of the acting feels like it was phoned in. If you like Michael Caine check out The Quiet American, a simpler but much more powerful movie.

This is a very well acted, solid thriller with some exemplary performances by not least Michael Caine, and will certainly keep your attention for the just short of two hours running time. We follow an elderly Frenchman and former Nazi-sympathizer during WWII, finding himself the subject of a new investigation as it transpires that the Catholic Church and members of the government helped to hide him for more than 50 years, for his role in the death of Jews during WWII. The director cleverly tries to use the framework of this investigative thriller to mirror more contemporary political and moral issues but this all gets a little lost however, in the complex morass of Wartime France, Nazi's, and the Catholic Church. I think that mainstream American audiences may lack the curiosity, or historical understanding to take an interest in a political thriller that delves into so "foreign" a topic. That aside, it certainly stacks up against other movies of the genre, and though a lesser known new release, it's certainly worth a rental.

Led by two exceptional actors. The time is today, and Michael Caine is an old man, one who served in WWII. He served on the wrong side, as a French collaborator with the Nazis, and he served up seven Jewish men to the firing squad, just for being Jewish. Since then, he has become a deeply devout and repentant Catholic, just trying to live out his days. Tilda Swinton is war crimes investigator, who will never let the atrocities be forgotten. She is determined to bring him to justice.

Don't be fooled by the simple premise. Others are determined to bring Caine's character to justice, too, with a bullet at close range. Caine, the repentant old man, kills two of the would-be killers - one wonders just how dedicated he is to that apparent life of peace, carrying handguns even when living in retreat in a monastery. Then, it turns out that the monastery and the Catholic church as a whole are more than just a retreat for him. He's just one of the strands in a tightly-woven shroud of silence. And, despite his mouthings of piety, he's not above petty cruelties and manipulations.

Swinton's relatively simple but driven character brings Caine's into sharp contrast. She's intense, blunt, and honest, with a gut-deep revulsion for the hypocrisy the seems to surround her. Nothing could be farther from Caine's character, who lives by lying, even to himself.

I can't agree with calling this movie a "thriller" or "cat and mouse game." It's too quiet and complex for easy tags. The interest comes not from the action, but from the cynical view of political power and the open question of just who the good guys are.

//wiredweird