Pretentious Oscar-pandering is Spielberg's WORST

Rating: 2/10 (6 September 2001)

OK, I really don't like this film. So I'll start with the positives. That would be Ben Kingsley....ok, I guess that's it.
First of all, there's the obvious fact that Spielberg was gunning for the Oscar on this one. He picked an issue that was popular in the politically correct world of Oscar voters, one that nobody can remedy or do anything about but they all like to discuss to show how much they care, and ran with it. The full weight of the concentration camp massacres can only really be seen in that French documentary (the name eludes me.) And if you want to get a feel for life in Nazi Germany, you might as well watch the propaganda film "Triumph of the Will," giving the viewer a chilling glimpse at the culture of national socialism.
Spielberg's attempts to be "artsie" are incredibly phony, particularly the "red dress girl"'s presence in a B&W film. An Liam Neeson simply does not pull off his part. At the film's end, you REALLY want to sympathize with Schindler when he laments that he could have saved "one more," but Neeson's performance in that critical scene is unconvincing. He plays the cold and reserved parts of Schindler's character so strongly that the character development leading to that emotional climax is lost.
People rate this film highly because they feel that they're supposed to. Don't take their word. The film (with Kingsley as the exception) is poorly acted, drawn out, and pretentious. If you've been fortunate enough to miss this film so far, keep up the good work.