Review of The Believer (2001) by Sammie M — 03 Feb 2008

I'm going to disagree with most of the people who praise this film. Its story is good and really made me want to watch the film, however I was ultimately disappointed. American History X is a far superior take on Neo-Nazism in America than The Believer.

In American History X, Edward Norton says some pretty racist shit, but he says them in a way where you go "He's wrong, but he has a point..." and it made you feel dirty because of that, but you couldn't look away. It kinda convinced you and made you nod your head in agreement while shaking your head back and forth at the same time. It sucked you in and you couldn't look away, with some exceptions of the infamous curb stomping scene for some people. Edward Norton's character also went through a transformation and changes his ways.

In The Believer, Ryan Gosling is for the most part an utterly annoying idiot. He says the same racist shit, but in a way that is in the main stereotype of a racist. He never backs up what he says and it isn't very convincing. When confronted about what he has said and proven wrong, he simply dodges the remark and storms out of the room. And for a self hating Jew who happens to be a Neo-Nazi, there are frequent moments where he does a HORRIBLE job at hiding the fact that he's a Jew to his fellow Neo-Nazi friends. The viewer wants to know why he thinks and acts like he does, especially with this Neo-Nazi being a Jew himself, however we are never given any good reason other then he had an argument with a teacher when he was a kid. What a pussy. He needed a good Curb-stomping.

The pace of the Believer is also rather slow (an odd thing considering it's only 99 minutes), I'd frequently check my watch to see how much was left. And of course there was the awful artistic ending that suggests Gosling's character was stuck in that moment in time when he went to school. The flashbacks to the classroom are quite possibly the best parts of the movie and the most convincing. I could go on but the simple fact is that this film could have been made so much better. It's a shame because I was really looking forward to this. On an additional note, the supporting Actress' character is an even bigger idiot and VERY annoying.

If you've seen American History X, then there is no point in seeing this film because it is nothing more than a let down with a good moment here and there. If you haven't seen American History X, but you've seen this and loved it, then American History X will blow your ass out of the water, plain and simple. Sure, American History X is the more trendier of the two movies, but it's just downright better.