How this film has received so much praise, I may never know

Rating: 5/10 (23 April 2007)

"Schindler's List" isn't by any means a bad film, but it's not particularly good either (a decent way of describing Spielberg's entire career). Some elements of the film are very good, even excellent, but it has issues that are too deep to be overcome, making it an overall mediocre work that certainly doesn't deserve the high praise it has gotten (much of which is because of Spielberg's treatment of the film itself--donating his salary to charity, having the film sent to high schools around the country, etc.).
The film's issues begin with its main character, who begins the film as a complex, interesting character who seems to possess a moral flexibility that would have been a great asset in such a changing society as his and then is reduced to a simple man with a conscience despite his surroundings. The transformation is unwelcome and not at all credible, since it seems to be precipitated by absolutely nothing (The holocaust has already begun around him, so that cannot be the precipitating event.) The change is made all the more ridiculous by the epilogue of Schindler's later life, which makes it clear that the first version of his character is more accurate. Liam Neeson performs very capably in the role, especially in the vastly more interesting opening scenes, but his performance is not enough to save such a ridiculous character arc.
There is also a terrible lack of focus in the film, as it spends such a large amount of time dealing with its villain, Amon Goeth, as to take away from Schindler's presence in the film. Goerth is also a more exciting character than the second Schindler and performed with such an incredible menace and dark intelligence by Ralph Feinnes that the viewer can easily long to see more of Goeth and less of Schindler, which is not a good thing for a film with such moral certainty.
Beyond these problems, there is the visual style of the film, which is a blatant rip-off of Alain Resnais's "Night and Fog." The black and white past with color present footage, intended to connect the past to the present, is clumsily done, as the subject of the holocaust's connection to the present is never once broached within the film. The colorization of the red swastika and girl's jacket also adds absolutely nothing to the film. It's pointless and smacks of Spielberg trying to prove his own depth.
However, "Schindler's List" does have its fine points. The film is still quite pretty to look at, including an incredibly beautiful, depressing image of Jewish graves as a Nazi road, and a number of other truly beautiful images that capture the sorrow of the Holocaust extraordinarily well. The acting is also truly excellent, highlighted by Ralph Feinnes in a tragically under-noticed turn as Amon Goerth. Finally, John Williams's score is hauntingly beautiful and has an understatement the film would have done well to mimic. These are cosmetic elements, perhaps, and they certainly don't make up for the film's major flaws, but they certainly improve the film from the train wreck it might otherwise have been.
Overall, "Schindler's List" is an overrated, average film. The performances and score are top-notch, but its message is not sent as vividly as it is by some other films about the same subject (most notably the aforementioned "Night and Fog") and its characterization of its protagonist leaves a lot to be desired. It's not a waste of time, but films such as "Night and Fog," Sidney Lumet's "The Pawnbroker," Roman Polanski's "The Pianist," and Roberto Benigni's "Life is Beautiful" explore the Holocaust much more poignantly with far less fanfare.