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Amen (2003)
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Reviews Counted:49
Fresh:33
Rotten:16
Average Rating:6.3/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 10 mins
Genre: Foreign Films
Synopsis: Filmmaker Costa-Gavras (Z, MISSING) has a reputation for controversial political cinema, and he does not fail to raise eyebrows with AMEN. Focusing on the Vatican's unwillingness to oppose the... Filmmaker Costa-Gavras (Z, MISSING) has a reputation for controversial political cinema, and he does not fail to raise eyebrows with AMEN. Focusing on the Vatican's unwillingness to oppose the Holocaust, and two men who tried to change the system from within, AMEN is adapted from the play THE REPRESENTATIVE by Rolf Hochhuth. It is based on a true story about officer Kurt Gerstein (Ulrich Tukur), a Nazi soldier who moved up the SS ranks by devising a chemical method to purify soldiers' drinking water. Gerstein is unaware of the horrors of the concentration camps until he is recruited by "The Doctor" (Ulrich Muhe) to adapt the same chemical for use in the gas chambers. Though Gerstein is overwhelmed by the reality of the impending massacre, he does not turn a blind eye. He informs the Swedes, the German Protestant Church, and even the Vatican. But he is sent away, dismissed, and otherwise silenced by all but the tenacious Father Riccardo Fontana (Mathieu Kassovitz), a fictitious character based on a number of priests who fought against the Holocaust. Father Riccardo takes life-threatening risks in a fruitless effort to convince the cardinal (Michel Duchaussoy) and the Pope (Marcel Iures) to rise above their fears of Nazi retribution. [More]
Starring: Mathieu Kassovitz, Ulrich Tukur, Ulrich Muhe, Michael Duchaussoy
Starring: Mathieu Kassovitz, Ulrich Tukur, Ulrich Muhe, Michael Duchaussoy, Marcel Iures, Ion Caramitru
Director: Costa Gavras
Director: Costa Gavras
Producer: Claude Berri
Screenwriter: Costa Gavras, Jean Claude-Grumberg
Studio: Kino International
Reviews for Amen
This is not the place to debate the Vatican's role, but Costa-Gavras offers a most persuasive study of its shortcomings.
Though Costa-Gavras brings nothing new to the table about the Holocaust, he puts another nail down in the argument that the world could have acted but didn't because of indifference.
Though such elements might chip away somewhat at Amen’s seriousness of intent, they do add fire to the stimulating drama.
It's so inert, so slow-moving that it seems at least twice as long as it really is, and it manages to waste a potentially fascinating premise.
Costa-Gavras often shortchanges the story's inherent drama for talky and strident speechifying.
Costa-Gavras deserves credit for staying the course; in a time when most European film directors are wringing their hands, he's still pointing fingers.
Extremely heavy-handed, almost comically repetitious, and way too long.
Tukur's performance is the centerpiece of the movie; it's a wonderful mixture of outrage and swiftly disappearing naivete.
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