The Believer (2002)

The Believer is narratively so-so but both the dialogue and Ryan Gosling's performance are excellent - Gosling is transformative. This caustic little indie doesn't pack the punch or production values of American History X, but Tony Kaye's film is something of a glossy, melodramatic morality tale. Instead, The Believer focuses not on slick monochrome cinematography but the psychology and philosophy of anti-semitism.The film is at its best when Gosling delivers the venomous yet articulate diatribes of Henry Bean's script, which offer compelling insights into the toxic mix of paranoia, envy and anger that fester in the anti-semitic mind. Another excruciating highlight is when a judge orders Gosling and his obnoxious inferiors speak with Holocaust survivors - a very uncomfortable, authentic piece of filmmaking.

When the theme of a movie is neo-Nazis and how they treat other people, especially Jews, you can't help but comparing it to "american history X". So as the film started I began to compare the two movies, but felt that it wasn't fair and it would bias my opinion, so i stopped after 10 minutes and gave it a chance to stand on its own.It just can't.How is it that a Nazi is a Jew, but he's conflicted about it? And lets say i buy that;from the middle and forward the movie became so flat without the smallest effort to give us a peak of this confliction. After the film ended i felt i took a trip to endless nothingness!Total waste of time.

This movie doesn't bring much thought to the table when it comes to religion, beliefs, racism, intolerance and facts. A Jew is troubled by an event of his past and starts exploring Neo-Nazi ideology... He then discovers that it's all bullshit and regrets but cannot admit it and he cannot commit to stop at once... He's not an idiot but is acting like one and surrounds himself with narrow minded people that can't even spell their own name...Sounds like American History X to me, only with much less intensity. There are some good parts about it, but I found it was mostly a waste of time.

Somewhat unbelievable story of a Jewish rebel. The portrayal of the protagonist as a Neo-Nazi is unconvincing in parts, mostly in his, what seems artificial, love of Torah and the religion he seems to respect but not embrace and intellectually can not submit.These affectionate displays and attachment to the doctrine and dogma are delivered in a rather teleprompter mode as if he is reciting and not truly reflecting on the religious teaching. What is convincing is his disdain and hatred for the pious and superior PEOPLE who practice the rituals and refuse to take a demonstrable stand against its own suffering.What is needed here for the film to be totally successful is the believability of both sides of his inner conflict. His respect for the artifacts and tradition come across as lip service, but his overwhelming overtures and monologues against the Jews come from a deep place and the superficial submission he witnesses from his his fellow clansman are riveting.