Good, Interesting, but not Great.

Rating: 7/10 (9 February 2003)

The first half hour or so of the Pianist really struggles. It shows the same coming threat that we have seen in other movies, yet does not do as good of a job of making them as horrific or tragic. Polanski tries his best, and certainly there are scenes that one would think would horrify. Yet knowing what would happen later, and having seen films such as Schindler's List, the early parts of the Pianist just don't have the same emotional impact that they might have in years past.
However, once the film becomes more about the individual struggles of the Protagonist, it starts to take off and captivate the audience. I particularly enjoyed the way Polanski let us feel what Brody's character was feeling rather than have him overact in reaction to pleasant and unpleasant surprises. This allows the audience to draw their own conclusions without trying to make them think they have even a remote clue what it would have actually felt like.
The sets in this film are really outstanding. They bring to mind some great sets like those of Saving Private Ryan, The Third Man, and Ran. It really felt like war came to a beautiful city and destroyed it. I never felt like I was watching special effects or set engineering. This for me was the best part of the film.
Second best would have to be the actual music. While it does not approach the level of Amadeus in terms of integrating music with the plot and glorifying great music, doing so would not have felt right in this film. The music also felt more personal and prodigal.