Schindler's List

Devastating film. Liam Neeson stars as German industrialist Oskar Schindler, who, during World War II and the Holocaust, opens a factory in Poland (one in Krakow and another later near Auschwitz) to help save the lives of 1000+ Jewish people. He is cunning, (seemingly) showing just enough lack of care of the Jewish people (claiming that he just seems that as a tool to make him a lot of money) to the Nazis such that they continue to trust him and support his building of factories rather than sending the people to concentration camps. He is able to bribe and continue acting in a positive manner around the Nazis, even though they disgust him. And this is done in the name of saving the lives of many Jewish people- he himself at the end says he should not be praised for this- he benefited from slave labor, a member of the Nazi Party, etc.; however, he did the decent thing and did what needed to be done to prevent further murder, which should be commended. Neeson's performance is very solid- it feels very real, and he is able to switch between the business charm when he fraternizes with Nazis due to his true caring nature, especially around his accountant Itzhak Stern, played by Ben Kingsley. Ralph Fiennes is fantastic here- so terrifying as German officer Amon Goeth. He is so incredibly inhuman, he genuinely does not care about the Jewish prisoners- he literally shoots them in the head when they do nothing from his balcony. He is also very egotistical, which Oskar feeds into during the "I pardon you" scene discussing how there is more power in having the opportunity to commit violence but not doing so. Amon's only glimmer of humanity is the admiration he has for his maid Helen Hirsch, and even then he is an abusive asshole who beats for nothing (and I remember reading that the real life Helen said he wasn't actually attracted to her). He is just disgusting, and his death scene at the end is incredibly satisfying to watch. It's just a beautiful, powerful movie. The score is really really great. Performances are great. It gives you goosebumps and makes you want to crawl in your skin seeing how disgusting and brutal Nazis were to innocent families. I think the ending where actual Schindler survivors appear and leave a rock by his grave is touching.