The Book Thief: A Story of Courage

Rating: 7/10 (3 December 2013)

The Book Thief is a movie told through the eyes of the citizens of Germany during World War II. Due to events leading up to the war, a mother is forced to give up her child for adoption to seek refuge for herself. The girl, Leisel (Sophie Nélisse), is adopted by a poor family of two, an older couple, who live in the heart of Germany. The father, Hans (Geoffrey Rush), is kind, friendly, and quickly forms a bond with Leisel. The mother, however, is much more strict and uptight. Being the new girl, Leisel only made one friend, a young boy named Rudy (Nico Liersch) who one day dreams of going to the Olympics.
Coming from a poor family, Leisel is illiterate and wishes to learn how to read. Throughout the movie, Hans and Leisel read books that Leisel "borrows" from a rich family who hired the mother to do their laundry. Around the halfway point in the movie, the family is faced with a new challenge when a Jewish man seeks refuge in Leisel's home from the Nazis.
The events of the movie are suspenseful and tug at the heart strings. However, The Book Thief tends to drag on from time to time. With most of the movie about reading books and hiding from the Nazis, some of the scenes are longer than needed. This does not take away from the fact that the movie does an excellent job of portraying how evil the Nazis really are.
Overall, The Book Thief is a mediocre movie. With one big name actor, Geoffrey Rush, the other actors in the movie simply blend together. I wouldn't necessarily rush out to see it, but The Book Thief is a movie to see on a rainy day with nothing else to do.
Rating: 7 of 10
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