Today’s quick review: Schindler’s List. In Nazi-occupied Krakow, Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson) has a plan to make his fortune: hire cheap Jewish labor to manufacture enamelware for the war effort. With the help of his manager Itzhak Stern (Ben Kingsley) and Nazi officer Amon Goeth (Ralph Fiennes), Schindler’s businss is a success. But as Nazi persecution intensifies, Schindler has a change of heart and uses his wealth to save as many Jews as he can.
Schindler’s List is a biographical drama from director Steven Spielberg. Schindler’s List is a harrowing glimpse at the Holocaust through the eyes of Oskar Schindler, a self-centered entrepreneur who eventually takes a stand against the genocide occurring around him. The movie is a finely-crafted portrait of one of history’s darkest chapters. Its stellar acting and direction and skillful treatment of its subject matter make it a modern classic.
Schindler’s List is a justifiedly heavy watch. The horrors of the Holocaust are on full display, from ghettos and persecution to the blithe murder of Jews in the street to the sheer inhumanity of the concentration camps. The movie does not shy away from its subject matter in the slightest, instead presenting each new horror with the same steady nerves and somber tone as the last one. The sheer quantity of human misery portrayed is overwhelming.
The details are part of what makes Schindler’s List so effective. The film pays close attention to the logistics of the Holocaust and what the Jews did to survive. The result is a gut-wrenching catalog of cruelty, ingenuity, and, on rare occasions, human decency. There is no shield of fiction for the audience to hide behind. The events depicted are true; what story logic applies is only included for the sake of cohesion, never to soften a blow.
Schindler’s List finds an able protagonist in Schindler himself. Liam Neeson stars as a greedy, egotistical entrepreneur who uses his charisma to land contracts with the Nazis. For all his faults, Oskar Schindler is a fundamentally decent man, a quality that distances him from his Nazi associates and ultimately pushes him to help the Jews escape them. His transformation from self-interested businessman to hero is one of the high points of the film.
The cast is also noteworthy. Liam Neeson is an excellent pick for the role, capturing both Schindler’s personable charm and his buried goodness. Ben Kingsley delivers an understated performance as Itzhak Stern, Schindler’s manager and the man who sets him on the path of mercy. Ralph Fiennes rounds out the lead trio as Amon Goeth, the sadistic Nazi officer in charge of the Plaszow concentration camp and the embodiment of the Nazis’ callous evil.
Schindler’s List is a must-see for fans of dramatic cinema and a heavy but rewarding pick for those willing to invest the time and emotional energy. For its scope, subject matter, and raw craftsmanship, Schindler’s List earns its place among the best dramas of all time. For another masterful tragedy with a smaller, more personal story, try Grave of the Fireflies. For a less overwhelming, more hopeful tale of perseverance, try The Shawshank Redemption.
8.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 8.5 to 9.0 for superb craftsmanship and a moving story.