Walk on Water (2004)

Every rule has its exceptions. A Jewish friend of mine says that Israeli movies were crap. Perhaps as a whole this view is correct, but there are exceptions, as "Walk on Water". If you have to characterize this movie in a few words, it's just actually superior quality cinematography. Extremely well made film with a leisurely pace, without unnecessary artificially blown drama, despite the dramatic story that it tells. Curiously, it involved all clichés that we would expect from this kind of cinema: German war criminals, Israeli agents of the almighty Mossad, palestinian terrorism, etc. However, the strangest is that it does not irritate the viewer because it is woven exclusively organic and masterly in the script.Directing, cast, the camera and soundtrack are perfectly matched and the end result is another proof of the great hidden potential of Israeli cinema. Frankly, I'm curious why Jewish filmmakers in Hollywood have such high achievements and success, but their compatriots in Israel seem undervalued by the audience and critics. In any case, Israeli cinema is developing in an upward spiral, and we can expect from it another surprising good news, as "Walk on Water".

This is a film about a man discovering his conscience; it is brilliantly written, as we meet an impassive, chilly killer-for-hire go quietly about his business, who in the course of his work becomes personally involved with the family of his next victim To reveal too much about the plot would be to spoil a viewer's involvement--it is lushly photographed in Israel, in Germany, deals with the residuals of Fascist rule, with sexist preconceptions, with the nature of love; it's subtle set of themes creep up on you after long after you view the film and realize how much of the film could have gone awry with it's complex overlays of interlacing themes and careful mixture of politics and personal stories.

If you have watched more than a handful of movies, chances are that you will have had this one figured out from the word 'go'. This movie is amateurish, predictable and downright boring. Crammed with clichés and stereotypical characters, the only "saving grace" is the fact that it deals with one of the most complicated and delicate historical issues known to man. The story line is about as exciting as retelling your own visit to the loo. The hammy acting brings to mind the 'versatility' of actors such as Van Damme or Seagal. In other words, armchairs evoke more heartrending feelings than they do. Extremely heavy handed and above all a total waste of time.

This movie reminds me of Munich, though it's actually made by an Israeli, is better, and came first. It's the story of Eyal, an assassin sent to host a German tourist named Axel in order to discover the whereabouts of Axel's grandfather, an escaped Nazi that the Israeli's want brought to justice. As the two get to know each other, though, they spark up a friendship that contrasts against the violent and disturbing contemporary world of daily suicide bombings and the estranged, powerful history of the Holocaust.As the story proceeds, characters are made of small moments of dialog and big revelations as the two grind against the edge of hate and love and try to figure out what their role assumes in this world. This movie is very revealing of the Israelite's own role in the violence of the particular area and era, and also analysis the way hate threads itself through history to haunt the futures of even the most self-assured, open-minded people.Unfortunately, it also has a very sentimental ending which almost subverts the power of the movie as a whole. But everything preceding it, especially the scenes involving the Nazi grandparent himself, vastly overweighs the film and maintains a sense of pained hope.--PolarisDiB