well done, even if it didn't quite equal "Schindler's List"

Rating: 9/10 (23 May 2006)

In what I assume was Roman Polanski's most personal movie ever, he tells the story of Polish-Jewish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody) doing everything possible to survive the Nazi occupation. As is the case with all of Polanski's movies, there are some very harrowing scenes, namely when the Nazi planes first start bombing the city, and when Szpilman has to hide. As Szpilman, Brody really brings out the most in the character (no doubt his sad face helps with that).
I will say that the movie doesn't quite equal the profundity achieved by "Schindler's List". But maybe that's not a fair comparison, since Polanski probably wasn't aiming for that. Either way, this is definitely a movie worth seeing, as a message of hope in the darkest of times.