Chosen

I enjoyed this movie, though I admit I skimmed part of it. The screenplay was very good, and the suffering to the Jews very real, Sonson, a young man stands up for the oppressed and fights back. Having been to Yad Vashem on several occasions the film was very vivid, particularly of the resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto. Am Yisrael Chai!

If youve read more than one of my review, you'll realise that they're not meant to be film critic standard. This ones not different. This isn't a bad film, but it is stretched, taking a story which is interesting, and over playing it. That said its worth a watch, as the story, whilst not entirely original, is apparently true, and reasonably well told. It could just have done with some more editing to lose about half an hour or so.

Yes, it might split opinion, but I'd advise you to err with the knowledge that IMDB ratings usually are on the high side. Don't be swayed by complaints of negativity reviews on political grounds. It's a movie for god's sake and a slow, plodding one at that. Yes, it's a 'worthy' topic and, at times, a harrowing tale but let's portray it as a movie and not play out events in real time. Presumably in an attempt to add import and gravitas, Harvey Keitel's delivery is often painfully slow. Which makes those parts of the movie painfully slow. We're actually talking about pace here. It's fine for a movie to be 'slow' if it holds the viewer and drags you long with the scene. This one doesn't. And although the movie's concept is full of potential, it makes the entire movie interminably, painfully slow! A fault which can only be laid squarely at the door of the director. Thank god he didn't write the screenplay, too, otherwise we'd still be watching it! There are moments of tension and action but they don't make up for the other sections. It's very unevenly paced. There's a 'reveal' at the end but if you haven't caught onto it in the first 5 minutes you've probably been asleep. Lucky you. Otherwise you may be tempted to walk out or switch off after a gruelling 30 mins of boredom. It would be nice to say, don't, it's worth the wait but that wouldn't be true. Hang around if you'r a major war story aficionado otherwise don't bother watching in the first place.

I read in the press that this film is due to be released in cinemas this fall, can't wait! The film sends powerful anti-war message and clearly this film like many other anti-war movies like "Paths of Glory", "Galliipoli, The Deer Hunter etc is saying that any uniforms, guns, wars, ethic and racist prejudice and hatred is the most stupid thing ever invented by humankind. The whole idea of uniformity, national symbols, golden eagles budges as symbols of national superiority over others is just laughing and anyone with a brain can wear it and posture in it believably like a Hitler, Stalin or Napoleon, just as has Charlie Chaplin shown in his brilliant satire "Great Dictator". And that is what is so powerful about this movie which main theme and subject matter, like in "Great Dictator" is stupidity of "uniform" as symbol of national pride, power and prestige and not who is beneath the uniform. Highly recommend it.

A great war drama! Based on a true story! Brilliant performance of Harvey Keitel the other actors. Amongst many other things the movie contains two very important messages: 1. "It could happen again! " 2. "An ordinary man could be a hero and achieve impossible things in unusual circumstances" I would strongly recommend it!

In modern times, an old man (Harvey Keitel) tells a young boy about his life during the war. It's 1943 Hungary. Sonson (Luke Mably) suffers as forced labor for the Nazis. They are hounded by the Hungarian police as the Nazis and their collaborators deport the Jews. Sonson joins a rebellion against the occupiers. There is a scattered narrative flow with nothing new going on in this movie. It's a mistake to show Sonson as an old man which guarantees his survival through the entire ordeal. Mably doesn't have the greatest charisma and the movie doesn't give his character much substance. No other character has any substance at all. This has no tension despite the movie trying to ramp up the melodrama with the music cues at the wrong times. At most other times, this is quietly dull without the needed tension. It's also not the highest of production value. The directing is weak. It's functional at best but not much more.

**Don't believe the ratings at all,this is a great resistance movie** The bad ratings are a result of hatred from a certain community or people who have different views about the historical facts. Let me start by saying this that if you're crazy about watching war movies and period movies you should definitely go for this and if you're still skeptical about it then don't take just my word for it and watch the trailer for yourself. The acting of Mr. Luke Mably is very powerful,magnificent and absolutely stunning in this war drama. The way Mr. Luke Mably acts and portrays his role in this movie is such that you'll jump from your seat at times and will always leave you wondering and excited of what's going to happen next. This movie deserves much more ratings and views and deserves to be in the list of all good war era movies ever made. I would highly recommend you to watch this and make up your own mind of how you want to rate it instead of believing the unacceptable ratings that has been given to it by people. ****Highly Recommended****

I would say this film was a cautionary tale, in more ways than one. A story told by way of narrative in the present day, to a child wanting to hear about grandpa's stories of the past is more than ably delivered by Harvey. Through his narrative we are told the story of Sonson, his wife and sister-in-law, all Jews living in Bulgaria towards the end of WWII. For some less than clear reason the story references that he is a lawyer, though this comes to nothing (in my view) through the movie. It tells the story of a small group of underground Jews and their struggles after the lead characters wife dies (due to Cancer whilst pregnant, though the latter seems to go unmentioned other than a line about eating for two)... Anyways I digress, the film tells the story eloquently enough, there is minimal then/now flashbacks that can so often be an annoyance, with Luke Mably very competently leading the cast. He embarks on a journey after the death of his wife to locate his sister-in-law who has been shipped off in one of the notorious 'trains' bound for Poland - she however is no withering Jewess doomed to her fate, no way, she (played very well indeed by Ana Ularu) escapes the train and disappears back into the underground network. The narrative tells us that Sonson has walked a great distance in a short number of days and eventually (after a few Germans are shot or otherwise dispatched) meets up with another group of underground Jewish fighters. What ensures is a small band of fighters seemingly taking on a never ending stream of Germans armed with machined guns, grenades and a couple of well equipped tanks. After the smoke clears the Jews win the fight and out of the smoke comes not just a reprieve but the missing sister-in- law, hugs ensue. It may not sound much, and yep there are holes in the story throughout, but the cast are entirely wonderful, and tell the story in a compelling way despite the plot/script holes. Much applause much go to the leads, Luke and Ana who were simply brilliant, and a degree of applause to Harvey who did his job well also. This story has been told before, and perhaps told better through script, cinematography and directing, but I have less often seen it acted so well. I have not seen much of Luke in recent years despite his obvious ability, and Ana is new discovery who I hope to see more of in film. This is not at all the best war story ever told, nor the best narrative of the oppressed overcoming their evil oppressors, but it is a story well acted and generally delivered, and I imagine if you find this film and spare the time to watch it you might also enjoy the many good parts if brings to the table.

First, to correct something that a couple of reviewers have said: this film is supposedly about Hungarian, not Bulgarian, Jews. Anyone who knows anything about the history of Hungary before and during World War II will consider this movie to be a travesty. Its depiction of how local and German officials behaved is ludicrous, and it is thoroughly inaccurate in its history. Whoever wrote this--and it would be nice to find at least information about Gabriel de Mercur--either knew nothing about that history or didn't care, preferring instead to produce an implausible action movie. And it is most definitely implausible, with one plot hole (as others have mentioned) after another. After a while, a viewer with any common sense will start greeting scenes with eye-rolls. I kept thinking, "Seriously??" The framing story is as predictable as the rest of the film is unbelievable. There's a real story to be told about Hungary during the war, but this isn't anywhere close to being that story.

Trailer—Chosen