Susan Granger’s review of “The Statement” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Set in modern-day France, this political thriller follows Pierre Bossard (Michael Caine), a cunning former Nazi collaborator who has managed to avoid confronting his treachery by hiding out with right-wing priestly protection in Catholic sanctuaries and safe houses. But his past is catching up with him as he’s diligently pursued by an impatient, impulsive, justice-seeking judge (Tilda Swinton) and an army colonel (Jeremy Northam) assigned to assist her. “Unless the truth is brought out into the open, the dead will never rest,” she explains. At the same time, however, an underground group of assassins is determined to find Brossard first, kill him and pin a “statement” to his body, identifying his murder as a justifiable act of retribution. Detailing the actual events in France that inspired Brian Moore’s 1997 novel, screenwriter Ronald Harwood (“The Pianist”) works with director Norman Jewison (“In the Heat of the Night”) to delve into the highly controversial concept of complicity, war crimes and those who commit them, specifically a man who has survived on-the-run for 44 years. Unfortunately, however, while the suspenseful script alludes to possible socio-political skullduggery, it gets quite confusing, concentrating instead on the investigation, the tense hide-and-seek chase and its predictable conclusion. Michael Caine delivers a compelling performance, albeit as a totally unsympathetic character who is unwilling to acknowledge his guilt. Veteran actors Charlotte Rampling, Alan Bates and Frank Finlay lend strong support. On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Statement” is an admirable, serious 7 with a timely, contemporary relevance, considering Iraq, Afghanistan and those prisoners being held at Gu
