Spielberg's up to his usual tricks

Rating: Null/10 (16 April 1999)

Well, after six years of good intentions, I finally got around to seeing Schindler's List. I was warned that it was sad, it was harrowing, it was this, it was that. Maybe it had been so hyped up, my expectations were just too great. The acting was great - Liam Neeson, Ben Kingsley and Ralph Fiennes were superb.
I couldn't help thinking that the whole thing about the Holocaust was trivialised, though. The scene where the viewer assumes that the women were to be executed turns out to be a harmless shower - just as you're pulled in to think you're seeing the real thing, Spielberg turns on the schmaltz again. The same happens at the end where Schindler breaks down in tears, thinking he could have saved more Jews - it was so out of character compared to the rest of the film.
Nonetheless, a watchable film, if a wee bit too long. 6/10