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The Statement

Play trailer Poster for The Statement R 2003 1h 59m Mystery & Thriller Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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24% Tomatometer 106 Reviews 36% Popcornmeter 1,000+ Ratings
A Paris magistrate (Tilda Swinton) and a colonel (Jeremy Northam) pursue a man (Michael Caine) in hiding who collaborated with Nazis in occupied France.
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The Statement

The Statement

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Critics Consensus

The movie bores despite a splendid performance by Michael Caine.

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Critics Reviews

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Terry Lawson Detroit Free Press 03/26/2004
2/4
Caine bounces back and forth almost randomly between pitiable and detestable, following the dictates of a formulaic plot. Go to Full Review
Jay Boyar Orlando Sentinel 03/19/2004
2/5
This is a creaky, obsolete sort of film, not an instant classic, but an instant antique. Go to Full Review
Nev Pierce BBC.com 03/16/2004
1/5
Plodding and predictable. Go to Full Review
Dennis Schwartz Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews 05/12/2019
C+
Jewison is not sure if he wants to make a chase or message film. Go to Full Review
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 05/11/2009
B
The film operates well as a thriller and probably goes further than intended in extracting sympathy for its reprehensible protagonist. Go to Full Review
Film Threat 12/06/2005
3/5
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Audience Reviews

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03/02/2021 Tilda Swinton plays the role of Anne-Marie Livi, a Paris District Attorney investigating a French collaborator who massacred Jewish partisans during WWII. Jeremy Northam plays Colonel Roux, a French Army Intelligence Officer assigned to assist. Michael Caine plays the Nazi collaborator. French collaboration is still a very sensitive and politically explosive issue, but Livi persists in pursuing despite the strong headwinds. The strength of this movie lies with the performances of Swinton and Northam and character development as the movie progresses. The weakness of the movie is Michael Caine, who has been badly miscast as a Frenchman. Better writing in the last third of the movie and better choice for the French Collaborator would have really helped. Great performances from Swinton and Northam move The Statement from a 2 & 1/2 Star movie to 3 & 1/2 Stars. A little better writing and casting may have gotten it to 4 Stars. See more 05/14/2020 A very well written, performed, and executed script. If you were looking for gratuitous action and sex, go to the majority of over-hyped Hollywood films. A well-paced film revealing the complexity of the aftermath of the psyche of one who aided and abetted the Nasizs in their crimes, a real study in survival whether it be immoral acts during the war or fleeing the mental anguish of guilt afterwards. The movie also reveals the complexity of peoples and factions who fight to survive the aftermath of the horrors of the atrocities of Nazism. Thoroughly enjoyed this film. Well acted and paced. See more 08/07/2018 Well-done. By todays standards, it can't compare to the sensory overload common in most movies. However, as a drama, and particularly for those interested in history, it's very good See more 06/18/2015 A terrific cast in a finely directed and beautifully photographed movie. It has a very strong story. Star Michael Caine gives a really excellent performance as a complex character. Caine manages to make the villain of the piece entirely believable and quite human without ever make him at all likable. Each time the story makes him a bit sympathetic the script and Caine's excellent performance rips away any idea that he might be a sympathetic villain. This movie is a great political thriller. See more 01/11/2013 Great performance by Tilda Swinton. It's important that stories like this one come to light and not be forgotten. See more Frances H 12/13/2012 A good criminal-political suspense film with a wonderful cast and shining performance by Michael Caine, playing a French Nazi collaborator whose obsession with religion and absolution by priests doesn't really make the audience feel sorry for him, because he's not really sorry. The character is merely trying to get out of paying the ultimate penally for his crimes--damnation, but that doesn't stop him from committing further murder or really repenting. It's a fine line to play successfully for an actor, and Michael Caine plays it brilliantly. Again I disagree with many critics, because I found this film very intriguing. See more Read all reviews
The Statement

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Movie Info

Synopsis A Paris magistrate (Tilda Swinton) and a colonel (Jeremy Northam) pursue a man (Michael Caine) in hiding who collaborated with Nazis in occupied France.
Director
Norman Jewison
Producer
Norman Jewison, Robert Lantos
Screenwriter
Ronald Harwood, Brian Moore
Distributor
Sony Pictures Classics
Production Co
Serendipity Point Films
Rating
R (Violence)
Genre
Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 12, 2003, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 6, 2012
Box Office (Gross USA)
$763.0K
Runtime
1h 59m
Sound Mix
Surround
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