Shattering impact...one of the great films of all time!

Rating: Null/10 (25 April 2001)

Words are not enough to describe the overall impact of this powerful film about a profiteer (Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler) during World War II who uses the Jews as cheap labor in his factory until he decides to save over 1,000 of them from death in the gas chamber. Nor are there enough adjectives to describe the performances--especially Liam Neeson as the enigmatic Schindler, a complex man who ironically becomes a saviour of Jewish souls. Although lengthy, it never once loses tension or interest and the decision to use black and white photography was a wise one, considering that all the war footage in the '40s was seen only in monochrome. Ralph Fiennes gives a masterful performance as the chief Nazi villain and should have won a Best Actor Oscar for his work. The John Williams score has a haunting quality--his main theme is a fascinating example of his uncanny ability to connect with the material he was scoring. As powerful a film as ever emerged about World War II, this film will undoubtedly increase in reputation as the years pass, fully deserving of all the praise it reaps. So real that some of it is difficult to sit through--but no serious minded filmgoer should miss it.