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Amazon.co.uk Review
Bean, whose previous work as a scriptwriter (Mulholland Falls and the like) has been accomplished but not exceptional, tackles this fraught subject with a strong sense of personal commitment. He doesn’t go for easy targets, either. Like Edward Norton's character in American History X, Danny is no mindless thug: he’s intelligent and frighteningly articulate, and he can argue his case with mouth and brains no less than with fists and boots. The film traces his attitude back to his schooldays, when he revolted against the unquestioning submission to Orthodox doctrine that his teachers tried to instil. Faced with a group of Holocaust survivors he denounces them for their passivity in the face of oppression. "Kill your enemies!" he tells them scornfully.
There’s a lot of talk in this film, and several of the characters are little more than mouthpieces for their respective views. (If Bernard Shaw had ever written a play about anti-Semitism, it might have come out rather like this.) But the play of ideas is passionate and deeply felt, and as the tormented Danny, constantly drawn back to the faith he despises, Ryan Gosling gives a riveting performance. This is an intense, anguished film that dares to pose deeply disquieting questions. --Philip Kemp
On the DVD: Although the disc only has one special feature, "Anatomy of a Scene", courtesy of the Sundance Channel, it is an interesting and informative dissection of the filming processes, the casting and the controversial and moving script. The visuals are on top form with 16:9 widescreen, but the sound is a disappointment--only mustering a 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo. --Nikki Disney
DVD Description
Disc Format: 1.85:1
Wide screen version: 16:9
DVD 5: Single layer, single sided disc
Audio: Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo
Language: English
Subtitles: Hard of hearing English
Colour
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A cut above the rest,
By
This review is from: Believer,the [DVD] [2001] (DVD)
Although graphic to watch in places this film is highly deserving of any praise it receives. It deals with a controversial subject remarkably well and with real power. It also comes at it from a new angle, that of the Jewish Nazi, which gives it that extra edginess. I have rarely seen a film that left me thinking of it's issues so long and recommending it to so many people.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ryan Gosling deserves an Oscar,
By Mr "X" (Glasgow, United Kingdom) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Believer,the [DVD] [2001] (DVD)
This film is raw, gritty and powerful, but more than that it is so rough around the edges that you can't tell at times whether it's a documentary or a film. This film is Oscar material, Ryan Goslings performance is so intense and conflicted that he sincerely deserved an Oscar for his excellent effort in this film.
All the actors do a good job in this film (though it may have been interesting to see more conversing between Billy Zane and Ryan Goslings character). Theresa Russel reminded me of my Right-wing teachers at Primary school - very intimidating. The Director really did a superb job here and created alot of empathy (and sympathy) for Ryan Gosling's character. Like Tim Roth's character in Made in Britain he is an intellectual, who feels shackled by society and Liberalism and the only way he can stand against is by being part of the Right-wing and opposing the State. I felt this film shed alot of light on Judaism and actually gave me a better understanding of it (and it wasn't done in a preachy manner). An excellent film, worthy of five stars and well worth a watch for those who like their films more raw than the usual Hollywood fare.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Boring, stereotyped and oversexed,
By Ashtar Command "Seeker" (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Believer [DVD] [2001] [Region 1] [US Import] [NTSC] (DVD)
Apparently I didn't get it, since all the other reviews are so glowing. Personally, I found "The Believer" to be boring, stereotyped and incomprehensible. A couple of bizarre sex scenes have been thrown in for good measure, naturally starring a twenty-something woman.
The main character, one Daniel Baliant, is a self-hating Orthodox Jew who becomes a neo-Nazi. All the usual Nazi stereotypes are there: skinheads, the fight between Daniel and The Big Tattooed Guy at the secret Nazi camp, the fat stupid Nazi, the crazy paranoid Nazi, etc. There is even a computer nerd Nazi. Since Daniel is an educated intellectual type of person, it's unclear why he would hang out with underclass skinheads of this sort. Nor is it clear why the "respectable" fascist front group recruits a crazy skinhead and suspected terrorist as a fund-raising speaker. In other words: the plot is very illogical! And no, it's not *really* based on a true story. Finally, the anti-Semitic speeches of the main character are meaningless rants. I fail to see why other customer reviewers found them so disturbing. Neither intellectual nor underclass Nazis sound like this. Occasionally, "The Believer" does hint at a deeper message: Baliant seems to be a sceptic or atheist who argued with his Jewish teachers already in school, he seems to reject Judaism because the Jews went like lambs to the slaughter during the Holocaust, hence proving their weakness, and there are some kind of Kabbalistic hints which I didn't understand. There is also a tension between Danny and his equally Nazi girlfriend, who seems to be fascinated by Judaism and perhaps thinks of converting. However, the movie never really follows up on any of this. The end is also inconclusive. Does God forgive Danny and take him to Heaven? Does he end up in Hell? Is the message really atheist? No idea. Maybe people who studied the Zohar for twenty years can grasp the esoteric message of "The Believer". I didn't. I was just bored. PS. What *is* the difference between a kadish and a kiddush?
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