Wow! Such a good movie.

Some things I liked some I did not.

Better Late Then Never

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

Without doubt, there is a strong and complex tale to be woven out of the material. Unfortunately Norman Jewison's adaptation of Brian Moore's novel is a weaving job that leaves too many holes.Beginning in picturesque southern France, The Statement depicts a manhunt in for a Nazi who was sheltered by a crooked branch of the church. He may have accepted Jesus, but there is still a dark side to him. Right at the beginning of the movie, he has no hesitation to put a bullet in a cop that pulls him over on a country road. He has killer in his eyes at that moment, and then suddenly seems completely overcome with guilt and fear as he disposes of the body.From there, the film drags along with thinly written dialog, and no sense of character enlightenment. There is a half decent scene where the Nazi refugee confronts his wife, but otherwise, the script has nothing to show in him. He is less of an individual and more of a crude representation: the manipulated product of the church who believes that his soul will be saved though prayer.The feds and agents who are on his tail are even more one noted. To even call them characters would be a stretch. They are merely faces representing intelligence.As a director, Jewison has mailed this film in. He cannot even make the most of a European rooftop chase scene, like the one that ends the climax. The camera-work is as dull as the editing and the pacing. The Statement is a lack luster attempt to tackle a complicated subject.

Magistrate Annemarie Livi (Tilda Swinton) is searching for former Vichy Pierre Brossard (Michael Caine). Colonel Roux (Jeremy Northam) is assigned on the case. A Jewish vigilante group is tracking Brossard but he is able to kill his pursuer. He is desperate to hide with the help of a diminishing group including certain supporters in the church. Back in 1943, Vichy leader Marshal Petain created the military force Milice to assist the Nazis.This movie should be an action thriller with Jeremy Northam hunting down his prey Michael Caine. Northam doesn't have the charisma to lead and the movie is spread out with Swinton and Caine. Norman Jewison may not have it in him to direct a thriller. This is a random cat-and-mouse game that doesn't have enough tension.

France in the early 1940s was hell on earth . Nazis would round up Jews and execute them in cold blood . We know this because this is how THE STATEMENT begins . What we didn't know was that London geezers participated in the cruel murders . It's so obvious you can't ignore it because the victims are told to stand against the wall as in " Cor blimey guv . If it ain't a bunch of Jewish geezers we're going to murder . And after I've murdered them I'll be popping up the apple and pears to see me old china Mary Poppins for a rendition of me old bamboo and knees up mother brown " For goodness sake if you're going to portray French people then please get someone to at least try and make a go of a French or vaguely European accent . Words fail to describe how bad the opening sequence is having Michael Caine dub over a French character . At best it's unintentionally funny , at worst it's offensive . Seeing characters being murdered due to their perceived race is no laughing matter As for the rest of the film it's beautifully shot but boring and once again I have to point out that not one single character sounds like they're French . Not only that you're never even convinced that Tilda Swinton's character is female , her dialogue seems as if it's written for a man . It's also without doubt the worst film Michael Caine has starred in for several years and his bizarre out of place performance reflects this

Norman Jewison, he's an sly old fox, you cannot expect him to make an avant- garde/revolutionary movie at this stage, he won't... but his name is synonymous with "quality", and that ain't to be sniffed at."The Statement" is such a good suspense movie about an former french soldier which served in Vichy's army and committed some "crimes against the humanity". 50 years after the WWII is over there are a lot of people who want his head: some are afraid of what he may tell to the authorities, some just want to arrest him. There's sort of a critique of Catholic Church's attitude during the Holocaust (how they turned a blind eye to it), and after it (sheltering some Nazis that had a warrant for arrest).The movie has kind of a classic style, it's been brilliantly filmed and the presence of Michael Caine is nothing but a nice present for all those who love cinema.*My rate: 7/10