Movie Review #2974
Another Nazi-hunt tale, this time featuring old Georg von Trappe himself (Christopher Plummer) as Zev, an Auschwitz survivor suffering from dementia & barely in control of his faculties & the inimitable Martin Landau (Mission Impossible anyone?), his friend Max. Max is also an ex-Auschwitz resident, wheelchair-bound but still pursuing retribution against those responsible for his & Zev's families' deaths in the camp. Unable to pursue himself, Max constructs an elaborate paint-by-numbers plan that sees Zev escape from their retirement home & embark upon a cross country excursion to track down the main perpetrator, now living in the US under an assumed identity. Zev encounters all sorts of characters & obstacles along the way including an anti-Semitic cop, various small children, a stint in hospital, the Canadian border & other WWII veterans before cornering his quarry in a remote part of Lake Tahoe. It's at this point the story elevates beyond the norm with a twist bigger than The Sixth Sense & the sudden realisation that things are not quite what they seem. Messrs Plummer & Landau are brilliant as the old geriatrics playing out rectitude in spite of their years with a superb supporting cast including Jurgen Prochnow as the hunted & provider of a few surprises. Whilst not a thriller as such, the anticipation of 90yr old Zev actually being able to reach his & Max's goal kept me on the edge of my seat in a very strange manner that also had me completely estranged from the eventuality. Awesome movie, well-acted (especially the aforementioned Capt von Trappe) & a fabulous screenplay that keeps you totally engaged then reeling at the final. Don't think I've ever done this but it's a 10/10.
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Geoff HorneI'm a movie nut from way back with my first ever being The Hallelujah Trail from 1964. Ever since being mesmerized by the giant screen, the darkness that went on forever & the infernally uncomfortable seats + having to stand for God Save the Queen, I've been enticed ever since to duck into a theatre whenever I can for a few hours of escapism. My favourite movie of all time is Schindler's List, one of only two movies I've ever cried in (the other was Bambi when I was 6!) & I'm a sucker for a damn good comedy; Dumb & Dumber, The Hangover & Death at a Funeral stand out. I'm also a musician and work in IT. I have 4 grandchildren who also seem to enjoy their movie excursions with grandad. I can be reached at geoff@nztester.co.nz. Archives
November 2020
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