GREY ZONE, THE
Released: October 18, 2002
Actor Tim Blake Nelson is fast becoming a great director. His acting was showcased in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and his recent directorial effort "O" proves he's just as versitile behind the camera as he is in front. That said, Nelson tackles a very difficult subject - the extermination of Jews in firey concentration camps - and does it with bluntness and dignity that such a story warrants. A Nazi doctor (Allan Corduner), along with the Sonderkomando (Harvey Keitel), teeter on moral oblivion with the Jews who are forced to work in the crematoria of Auschwitz against their fellow Jews - a moral grey zone to say the least. David Arquette sheds his goofball image here as one of the Jewish crematoria workers. An assortment of brilliant roles are brought to life by the almost unrecognizable Steve Buscemi, Mira Sorvino and Natasha Lyonne. Newcomer Kamelia Grigorova plays the traumatized young girl who survives a gassing and is protected despite death looming around every corner. This is not for the faint of heart but it is a true story. Knowing this type of torture and killing still goes on today shows just how little we humans have left of our humanity. Tim Blake Nelson delivers the goods here but it's a story we know the ending of before we enter the theatre. Not a pretty picture but it sure is a brilliant movie.
108 Minutes
Lions Gate Entertainment