Spielberg's best.

Rating: 10/10 (20 May 2008)

Steven Spielberg delivers his masterpiece here in telling the very unknown story of a German Nazi Party member who became the savior for over 1100 Jews during the height of the Holocaust. This is very dark material and Spielberg was wise enough to film it in black and white obviously to emphasize the bleakness of the situation. Here all the elements come together and mesh fluidly. The acting is superb with Liam Neeson perfectly capturing the multiple emotional cycles that Schindler went through. At first, he is happy and wealthy yet struggles with the relationship to his wife. As the story progresses, he becomes more saddened and shocked at the horrific events that are taking place on Jews in the local towns of Poland. He then decides to use the immense wealth he has gathered to try and save those that worked for him in Poland before they were moved to concentration camps towards the end of WWII. This is not a happy story at all, and yet there is something so beautiful about this picture. When I first saw it, I cried at multiple scenes. Now, after seeing it for the second time, I was more taken aback and could only watch in awe as a simple German businessman did something that only a handful of human beings would have the courage to do. He went face to face with multiple SS officers, including the demented head of the camp Amon Goeth played sinisterly by Ralph Fiennes, in order to save all he can. The last hour of the film showing Schindler collect all his money together so he can pay for the Jews to move them to safety can only amaze and stun you as we watch one man risk and sacrifice all he owns for the benefit of 110 strangers he knows nothing about. Here it is all about the quality of human life and how important one person can be to so many others. This truly is one of the greatest films ever made and it is in my mind the best of the last decade. Not to be missed by anyone, Schindler's List is more than a film; it is an experience of a n event that I pray will never occur again.