Adrien Brody gives a top-notch, Oscar-worthy performance

Rating: Null/10 (31 August 2003)

Throughout the entire length of "The Pianist", I was incredibly moved and shocked speechless by some of the disturbingly graphic ghetto scenes, with Jews being tormented by the ever-present wicked Nazi soldiers. Of course, I've heard more than a few comments from other viewers who think this film is basically just a "Schindler's List Lite", if you will. These people say it's just another effort in a long line of supposedly exploitative Holocaust dramas from the past decade or so.
While I can clearly see their argument, I must add that, admittedly, I have not seen a great deal of those types of films (my best exposure to such WWII-era subject matter would have to indeed be the aforementioned "Schindler's List", arguably Steven Spielberg's greatest film); nevertheless, I'm sure that if I HAD seen more of those films, I still would have been just as fazed after viewing this one. I don't know about you, but I haven't exactly become desensitized to such horrific imagery (like some others apparently have), and I still find those topics to be increasingly fascinating to watch in movie form. As well, the fact that this entire project was held together by the phenomenal lead performance from Adrien Brody didn't hurt, either. I thought his acting was completely deserving of the Best Actor Academy Award win, and Mr. Roman Polanski as well was more than worthy of being bestowed with the Best Director Academy Award. The stunningly realistic look of the film, coupled with winning performances and a beautiful musical score, makes for a heart-wrenching, unforgettable true story. Highly recommended - although again, if you find yourself easily disturbed by the violent nature, perhaps you can avoid this one. It is pretty grim, as one would probably expect.
Aside from that, though, this is a masterpiece. Well-done.