Not a gem

Rating: 6/10 (2 September 2003)

Watching this back to back with another overly praised film was probably a bad idea. I was disappointed in both. The other film was the Jack Nicholson Oscar nominated role and although I watched it yesterday, I have already forgotten it's name. Unlike many reviewers, I have seen many films dealing with the Holocaust. I have not become immune to the subject and frankly, Polanski does start to touch on the horror and the random acts of inhumanity. However, the pianist character left me cold. A man who is almost completely devoid of any character. Neither a hero or a villain, but just a dull, cold fish. He barely shows fear and certainly aside from two moments when he looks upset (family taken off and little boy beaten to death) is robotic. I saw no Oscar performance here, found the constant leaping from subject to subject disorienting and had no time to really get to know anyone in the story but the robot. I am not sure what Polanski's goal was in making this movie but it came off as neither drama nor documentary. Too little of everything except perhaps, historical accuracy.