Product: Snow Falling on Cedars (2000)
Rating: 3.0
Good, not great
Ethan Hawke plays Ishmael, a WWII vet who hasn't gotten over the loss of his first love, Hatsue, played by Youki Kudoh. Her husband is now on trial for murder and Ishmael is the town newspaperman. As we learn in endless moody flashbacks during the trial, the two were teenage lovers until she was shipped to a relocation camp and he went to fight in Europe. She was forced to break their engagement, and he nearly lost the will to live, after being gravely wounded on D-Day. Now, with the townsfolk full of anti-Japanese prejudice, it looks hopeless for Hatsue's husband.The wonderful Max Von Sydow shows off his acting chops as the husband's sympathetic attorney. He is the only reason you care anything about the trial. Sam Shepherd, as Ishmael's father, is also wonderful. Kudoh is very good, displaying a wide range of emotions, but star Hawke is the weakest link in the film. He is wooden and bland, and never arouses any feelings of empathy.The first 45 minutes were filled with tediously boring introductory scenes and flashbacks. The basic story is would have made a good 90-minute movie of the week, but at 2 hours and 8 minutes it, only made me restless. Yes, the wintery island scenery is beautiful and young love is sweet. But this movie would have been so much better with a more charismatic male star (Brad Pitt or Matt Damon) and a lot more film on the cutting room floor.