The Statement (2003)

During World War II, Pierre Broussard was responsible for the execution by firing squad of seven Jewish prisoners. Now, in 1992, he's a tired old man with a heart condition, still trying to escape his past. The result, under Norman Jewison's surprisingly uncertain direction, is a series of routine set pieces. Broussard is tracked. He shoots the assailant. He's followed again. Another shooting. His only hope is that the ultra-right wing friends of his wartime days will provide sanctuary and perhaps even a passport to South America. That they are almost all Catholic clergy gives the film an odd and disturbing bias. Michael Caine is, as always, terrific. He somehow manages to give Broussard depth and insight. But as for the movie itself, the real mystery is why was it made?

This movie can be enjoyed for its high production values, excellent acting (particularly Michael Caine and "ice queen" Tilda Swinton), and looking at the wonderful on-location photography of Europe. Unfortunately the primary purpose of this box office dud was to create still another re-write of World War II in Europe to focus on the Jews, the Jews and nothing but the Jews.Literally hundreds of movies have now been made to weave the misconception that the war was about the Jews. It was not. It WAS about the invasions of Czechoslovakia, Poland, France, the bombing of Rotterdam with 20,000 buildings destroyed in 20 minutes, the V-2 rocketing of London, the enslavement of thousands, horrible medical experiments, et cetera. Yet an entire generation has been taught that the be-all and end-all of WW II was the Jews. Even in the context of this film, the focus is on 7 Jews shot by the Vichy government. 7 Jews! What about the millions of French citizens betrayed by Vichy? Hmmm! The second propaganda agenda is to pretend the Catholic Church was sympathetic to the Nazis. Taint so, McGee.

Pierre Brossard is a man hiding an ugly past - he collaborated with the Vichy Regime in Nazi occupied France during WWII. This led him to being responsible for the execution on 7 Jews. Now, after years of hiding and living a quiet pious life, his past has caught up with him.One thing that can strike an audience about this film is its relatively quiet nature. Things happen, but they don't always happen fast. There isn't any real "action" and "thrills." However, the movie nonetheless remains engaging, though it is not a conventional revenge thriller movie. It is more about the people involved than the things that they do or did in the past. There are only hints at Brossard's past and not whole flashback sequences showing war crimes. Even as characters travel throughout the film their travel times are even spared quick montages or vast establishing shots. This might make the film seem slow and uneventful, yet there are a few suspense scenes that are, well, just good suspense scenes. Slow, yes, but tense.Also the movie makes an indictment about the violence. Does violence cure violence? Is fighting fire with fire always the right thing to do? It solves somethings, but does it solve everything? The film certainly ends on a hum that leaves the viewer thinking about the subtleties that it drops throughout. --- 8/10Rated R despite minimal violence. Almost any PG-13 action film is significantly more violent.

Pure rubbish, ridden through with stereotypical Anglo-Saxon anti-Catholic and anti-Continental bigotries and biases. Having said that, some nice scenery but that was about it. I can't believe Michael Caine made something this poor at this point in his career.And now adding more content to satisfy IMDb's requirements: Michael Caine plays an ex-Nazi French collaborator; he "acts" exceedingly nervous throughout the film helped no doubt by the liberal application of some oil-based lubricant to his face; Church officials are of course portrayed as deeply corrupt and dishonest, protecting their pro-fascist sympathies until the heat gets turned on them when naturally they sell out their own man, and so on. Again, the only reason to watch are some nice scenes of the French countryside, one could even let it run with the sound off as a kind of background living-room panoramic.