Quite Possibly the Greatest Movie Ever Made

Rating: 10/10 (3 March 2006)

I was a die-hard "Citizen Kane" fan. I would defend the film as often as possible, and if I were to watch a movie that was considered a classic the main comparison would be to "Citizen Kane".
"Schindler's List" transcends "Citizen Kane" in brilliant film-making and acting, however. Its pure believable humanity has such effectiveness that people can be changed by its horrors, drama, and feel-good appeal.
Suspense has never been at the level throughout movies as it is in "Schindler's List". Hitchcock made some suspenseful movies, especially "Rear Window", but the Auchwitz scene in this film has suspense on a level I have never seen before.
The elements of horror, drama, suspense, and especially humanity throughout this movie are enough to make it comparable to "Citizen Kane". However, what makes it better are the stellar performances given by every actor throughout the performance. Liam Neeson is brilliant as Oskar Schindler, and he becomes Mr. Schindler in such a way that other actors throughout cinematic history would have died for to achieve. Even better is Ralph Finnes as Amon Goeth, a man just as vicious as Hitler who was portrayed in one of the great film performances in history.
The only reason this movie does not have the same regard as films such as "Casablanca" or "Citizen Kane" is because it is so young. Thirteen years is not enough time for a movie to age the same way movies such as the classics of the 30s and 40s evolved into what they are today. In another 40 years however, Schindler's list will be among the company of "Citizen Kane" and "Casablanca".
This is my pick for the greatest film ever made.