Synopsis
The film is set in France in the 1990s, the French were defeated by the Germans early in World War II, an armistice was signed in 1940 which effectively split France into a German occupied part in the North and a semi-independent part in the south which became known as Vichy France. In reality the Vichy government was a puppet regime controlled by the Germans. Part of the agreement was that the Vichy Government would assist with the 'cleansing' of Jews from France. The Vichy government formed a police force called the Milice, who worked with the Germans...
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Cast
- Michael CainePierre Brossard
- Tilda SwintonAnnemarie Livi
- Jeremy NorthamColonel Roux
- Alan BatesArmand Bertier
- Charlotte RamplingNicole
- John NevilleOld Man
- Ciarán HindsPochon
- Frank FinlayCommissaire Vionnet
- William HuttLe Moyne
- Matt CravenDavid Manenbaum
Recommendations
- 90
The Hollywood Reporter
Has the hallmarks of a top-notch Jewison production -- splendid performances, especially from leads Michael Caine, Tilda Swinton and Jeremy Northam, a pulse-quickening pace and production values that establish story and character within a distinct environment. - 50
Variety
Lackluster pic fails both as suspense and as character study. - 50
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Seems tailor-made for an intelligent thriller in the Graham Greene mode, but in Jewison's hands, the dragnet that closes in on Brossard is lackadaisical, and the larger political overtones--especially concerning the complicity of the Catholic church in aiding Nazis--are spelled out over and over. - 50
Village Voice
Ends up second-guessing its own high-minded strivings, not trustful enough of its audience to be sophisticated about history and ethics, and not pulpy enough to keep us awake. - 50
L.A. Weekly
A tolerable thriller. - 50
Christian Science Monitor
Caine puts all his formidable talent into pulling this off, but Jewison's directing and Roland Harwood's screenplay (based on Brian Moore's novel) provide a regrettably shaky foundation for him to build on. - 50
The New York Times
As much as these wonderful actors invest their performances with psychological nuance, their efforts go mostly for naught in a movie that gives character development a distant back seat to the grinding mechanics of its formulaic plot. - 50
Los Angeles Times
Films can't just sound good on paper; they have to be effective on the screen, and in that form, The Statement is disappointing.
