Review of Denial (2016) by Johnny T — 04 Jan 2017

If Denial doesn't quite do its incredible story complete justice, it comes close enough to offer a satisfying, impactful drama -- and another powerful performance from Rachel Weisz. At the nasty center of the otherwise dutiful Denial is a slimy, self-aggrandizing upper-class blowhard of a bigot who believes he has every right to circulate hateful and hurtful falsehoods to his followers. Courtroom dramas can be tricky, tetchy things, but director Jackson, working from a script by David Hare (The Hours) keeps the suspense and moral indignation peaking high throughout Denial's slightly overlong running time. The action inside the courtroom is compelling. This is a place where people duel with words, not swords, but the wounds can be just as deep and permanent. A simple courtroom drama that never betrays its convictions, the film is a basic but bitterly urgent reminder that history is far more fluid than fact, a garden that must be tended to at all times lest it wither and grow weeds. The movie may be competent at telling its story, but it's missing one key ingredient: feeling. The movie is fascinating in its approach to legal arguments, forensic evidence, and the uses and abuses of history - but, like the courtroom at its center, it doesn't have much feel for the feels. The film works adequately as a historical drama.

VERDICT: "High-Quality Stuff" - [Positive Reaction] This is a rating to a movie I view as very entertaining and well made, and definitely worth paying the full price at a theatre to see or own on DVD. It is not perfect, but it is definitely excellent. (Films that are rated 3.5 or 4 stars).