The Believer

R

Released May 17, 2002

1 hr. 38 min.

Drama

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List

82%

95 Reviews

Tomatometer

82%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing -- an adage proven with shocking ramifications in Henry Bean's "The Believer." The film's stringent, intellectual approach to the topics of anti-Semitism and neo-fascism will move and astound viewers, a testament to this first-time director's important undertaking.

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Critics Consensus

Gosling commands the screen with a raw, electrifying performance.

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Steve D

Well intended but I found it clunky.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

09/25/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Where is the missing link? It is established early on that violent skinhead, Danny (Ryan Gosling) is actually Jewish. But… how? The flashbacks show a young Danny (Jacob Green) arguing with his Yeshiva teacher over interpretations of the Torah, but nothing that got us to where we are in early-2000s NYC, where Danny walks around in a red t-shirt adorned with a giant swastika, like, the biggest swastika you could fit on a t-shirt. Danny is the "self-hating Jew" taken to the extreme. The plot see-saws with Danny literally planning and realizing the killing of innocent Jews and showing obeisance to his heritage. It's a struggle that feels unbelievable, yet, Danny even joins a meeting of fascist elites in NYC pontificating on loving Jews because we hate them… or something. It wasn't salient even within the absurdity of the plot. The actual good points the fascists make concern "free trade" and IPOs as the answer to losing community, jobs, and purpose — when these are the people making this argument in the early 2000s, it's unsurprising to see where we are now. Movies from this time period have a feel to them and The Believer is no different — it's something about the lighting and use of close-ups…so many close-ups. The plot almost feels like something you'd see come out of the second half of the 2010s, and yet, Danny is based on a real person. The more I thought about this movie the more points I deducted from my original score. What made Danny change and then change back? It wasn't like he got too in over his head? We first see him pestering, stalking, and then assaulting a Jewish young man on the subway. There also seemed to be one bomb too many to stick the message. Ending was good though and Gosling rules.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/01/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Just another love they neighbor , kumbiyah fest. Stop picking on me! Wah wah wah. Nine billion people on the planet, humans, you're not that important. Get over yourselves!

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Probably the best I've seen of Gosling, his presence is intense and superbly nuanced. A film recommended to me and it is fascinatingly twisted and contorted as a man wrestled with his demons and angst as well as his self identity. Very interesting film.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

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dax h

I didn't like the story, it fizzled out as it went along.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

An intriguing and intellectually sound film on a man ultimately struggling with the duality of his identity and the internal struggle it brings. The Believer hardly waters down it's content, (except the horrifically cheap looking WW2 flashes), conveying a neutral perspective on the matters and letting the audience flesh out it's meaning without spoon-feeding nor preaching. It's sincere in its approach and is grossly overlooked due to the success of American History X.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

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Henry Bean

Director

Ryan Gosling

Danny Balint

Summer Phoenix

Carla Moebius

Glenn Fitzgerald

Drake

Theresa Russell

Lina Moebius

Billy Zane

Curtis Zampf

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51%

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The Man From Elysian Fields

51%

71%

Steal This Movie

80%

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Pollock

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Solas

75%

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The Believer: Trailer 1

2:12

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James Berardinelli

ReelViews

Its strengths are counterbalanced by narrative weaknesses that pull the viewer out of the experience.

Rated: 2.5/4

Sep 29, 2023

Full Review

John Leonard

New York Magazine/Vulture

... stars an astonishing Ryan Gosling...

Feb 3, 2018

Full Review

Charlotte O'Sullivan

Independent (UK)

People have a right to make godless films. Bean's made one, and it's as brilliant as it is humane.

Nov 15, 2017

Full Review

Paul Kanieski

KSQD Community Radio

Gosling takes full advantage of The Believer’s compelling story to deliver an unforgettable psychological portrait of a man who is literally his own worst enemy.

Jul 25, 2023

Full Review

B. Ruby Rich

The Nation

A traditional but well-made examination of one Danny Balint, a disgruntled yeshiva student turned skinhead thug.

Feb 25, 2020

Full Review

Philip French

Observer (UK)

Gosling's Danny is frighteningly believable, in his mad hatreds and when gradually confronting inner doubts.

Jan 1, 2013

Full Review

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Synopsis

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing -- an adage proven with shocking ramifications in Henry Bean's "The Believer." The film's stringent, intellectual approach to the topics of anti-Semitism and neo-fascism will move and astound viewers, a testament to this first-time director's important undertaking.

Director: Henry Bean
Executive Producer: Jay Firestone, Adam Haight
Screenwriter: Henry Bean
Distributor: IDP Distribution
Production Co: Fireworks Pictures
Rating: R (Some Sexual Content|Language|Strong Violence)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 17, 2002, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 17, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $406.0K
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby SR, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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